Sure the first installment of the Antoine Fuqua/Denzel Washington actioner came out in 2014, and I watched it for the first time nine years ago, and hadn’t watched any of the films since. And yes, I’m a fan of the original series with Edward Woodward. but I rather enjoy Washington’s interpretation of the character.

The things I think are missing are sly nods to the source material, and maybe even a hint of that amazing original theme by Stewart Copeland.

Anyway.

Robert McCall (Washington) is still helping those who need it and is watching the world while he works as a Lyft driver. He is involved in the lives of the people who live in his building, including a young artist, Miles (Ashton Sanders), a woman, Fatima (Sakina Jaffrey) and her garden (and painted walls), and an old man, Sam Rubenstein (Orson Bean) who is looking for a lost connection, and a rare painting.

When one of his dearest friends and co-workers, Susan (Melissa Leo), who also helps supply him with info ends up murdered for getting too close to something in an investigation, McCall is determined to discover the truth, and no one is going to be surprised where it leads.

Casting is always key for the villain, but with the way the story breaks, you know who the villain is going to be long before McCall figures it out.

McCall reveals the fact that he’s not dead to his old military and agency partner, Dave York (Pedro Pascal) and can you tell where it’s going to go from here?

That doesn’t mean it’s not a tightly paced film that makes sure to give a number of the characters moments to shine and to see how McCall affects them all, and how he works to make things better, and consequently, those he helps make things better. This is especially evident in Miles’ story as he gets pulled into the main narrative by the baddies.

This was Washington’s first-ever sequel, and I really like seeing him put his action chops into play, his McCall is brutal and dangerous. He’s got an edge, and while he may not be attempting to redeem himself for his actions in the Program, he does have ghosts of his own.

Fuqua doles out action beats and narrative with finesse and style, making for a satisfying film that is carried easily by the incredibly talented Washington. Pascal is great, but there are no surprises in his performance, he’s there to be the baddie, and he does it with ease, the sniper sequence in the climax is really well-orchestrated.

I was entertained, and had lots of fun with it, Washington looks awesome kicking ass, and there’s a lot going on character-wise for everyone who is around McCall.

Yes, it had been a while since I saw the first one, but you better believe I’m going to dive into the third film very soon.