Very entertaining, but lacking anything that makes it really special. This is another example of a film that completely relies on its lead actor to carry it. The star of this film has to immediately come off as down-to-earth, likable and have you sense that there’s something more to them, while being able to believably turn into somebody totally badass. Denzel Washington does exactly this and more. He’s just as interesting to watch drinking a tea as he is ruthlessly dispatching bad guys. Most of the cast does a fine job playing the other various characters. Chloe Grace Moretz has the next strongest presence in the film, but ultimately, which makes it that much more disappointing that she’s so underused here. The primary villain, played by Marton Csokas, doesn’t really come off as menacing as he should. While we see it in some of his actions, the character falls flat in his hands and seems more like a business man instead of a hardened killer. The plot itself is nothing new, and mostly follows the “reluctant hero comes out of retirement” story, albeit, with only a handful of details as to who and what the main character was before we meet him. Also, the film takes its time getting going, and when things pick up and turn it into a brutal action film, it slows down for the majority of the time. It’s not boring, but it always feels like it should be doing a bit more.

*** out of *****