Stylish 'Equalizer 2' artificially sweetens tale of vigilante violence

“Equalizer 2” - ★ ★

“There are two kinds of pain,” ex-government assassin Robert McCall says to a Turkish thug he's about to thrash. “One that hurts you, and one that changes you!”

There are two kinds of action movies, too.

One with crisp, interesting dialogue, and one with recycled overused phrases, such as the “There are two kinds of something” speech.

Fortunately, “The Equalizer 2” doesn't rely on witty dialogue or even a coherent plot to connect with audiences.

We watch “The Equalizer 2” to see Denzel Washington's avenging vigilante kick some major bad-guy booty.

And kick he does, taking out a train car full of human trash near Istanbul, then teaching manners to American gang-rapists in a hotel room.

It's fun to witness Washington, three years shy of being able to collect full Social Security benefits, still be the lethal weapon he played in Antoine Fuqua's 2014 “The Equalizer” (based on the less violent 1980s TV series starring Edward Woodward).

Washington, in his first sequel, brings much-needed gravitas to McCall, who prides himself on timing how long it takes him to efficiently wipe out everyone in the room.

He's so good at extermination, his character risks becoming boringly invulnerable. That doesn't happen, because Washington imbues McCall with a strong sense of humanity, humility and manners. Plus, he reads books.

When he's not mopping up messes, McCall grieves his wife's death alone in his Boston apartment. (He kisses his wedding ring every day.)

The plot detonates when two men attack his friend and former colleague Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo). She dies.

McCall re-connects with his old CIA partner Dave York (Pedro Pascal) to find the culprits. They surmise that the attack occurred just before Susan solved the murders of a married couple during the movie's opening scene.

“The Equalizer 2,” like Fuqua's earlier film, provides plenty of action, starting with a gory, staged murder/suicide, then working up to slashed eyeballs and explosive disembowelments.

Less attention has been paid to Richard Wenk's screenplay, a contrived work that traffics in lapses of common sense and internal logic, plus an artificially sweet ending.

When McCall finally confronts Susan's killer, who confesses to the crime (as we see it in graphic flashbacks), we feel slightly cheated because the “killer” wasn't even around when those men attacked Susan.

During the obligatory climactic shootout, the avowed killer stands atop a building, making himself an easy target for a shot from McCall, who inexplicably never takes it.

And how did McCall manage to print up a bunch of 8-by-10 glossies of Susan and post them around his beachfront getaway bungalow while being chased by assassins during a hurricane?

One scene in “The Equalizer” radiates with genuine suspense and intensity.

Miles, a young Boston street kid played with unfettered charisma by Ashton Sanders, nervously hides behind a bookshelf in McCall's apartment when assassins arrive.

A promising art student, Miles is being drawn into street gangs, until McCall goes into savior mode and forges a sincere, touching mentor/protégé relationship with him.

McCall saves his life.

That's only fair, because Sanders saves the movie.

<b>Starring:</b> Denzel Washington, Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, Pedro Pascal

<b>Directed by:</b> Antoine Fuqua

<b>Other:</b> A Columbia Pictures release. Rated R for drug references, language, violence. 129 minutes