This film starts with Denzel Washington quietly sitting in a dark room waiting for a group of bad guys to show up. Natch, he quickly dispatches them all and calmly staggers away. Since he was wounded, he spends time recovering with a kindly doctor in a charming little seaside Italian village. Before long the local criminals emerge to terrify the locals, which he tolerates until he can’t. While the brutal encounters are spread out, it’s wonderful watching Washington enjoy this quiet life, while falling in love with the community. There are fewer fights than many current action flicks, but they’re brutally effective. Director Antoine Fuqua has taken what could have been a by-the-numbers plot and expanded it to create a compelling character on top. 
(3.5 / 5)
