Our Favorite Episodes: THE EQUALIZER: "Breakpoint" (1986)

THE EQUALIZER: "Breakpoint" (1986 Universal TV/CBS) Original Air Date: February 19, 1986.  Starring Edward Woodward, Tony Shalhoub, Patricia Clarkson, Sam Schact, Phyllis Newman, Richard Hamilton, Keith Szarabajka, Aharon Ipale, Tony Spiridakis, Ned Eisenberg, Joseph Kell, Earl Hindman.  Written by Scott Shepherd and Don Carlos Dunaway.  Directed by Russ Mayberry.

At a high rise New York hotel, Robert McCall (Woodward) is giving away the daughter (Clarkson) of a late colleague at her wedding.  Meanwhile, middle Eastern philanthropist Ipale is staying at the same hotel when he is abducted by terrorists (Shalhoub, Spiridakis, Eisenberg) with intent to take him back to their unnamed home for trial and execution.  With their escape route foiled, the heavily armed Shalhoub and friends crash the wedding party, taking guests hostage for leverage in the negotiations for safe passage.

Tony Shalhoub in his TV debut

Two decades before Liam Neeson's Bryan Mills, Edward Woodward's Robert McCall was that retired operative with a particular set of skills acquired over a long career.  After being a nightmare to kidnappers, slumlords and corrupt cops for the first eighteen installments, The Equalizer found himself without a client to help for the first time.  In "Breakpoint", it's McCall who is among the victims.

Of course, with McCall's many years of experience, he knows the International Terrorists Playbook better than his captors.  This well-developed entry allows the audience to really see the payoff for all that past agency work, in a situation requiring very quick thinking, tremendous discipline, and absolutely no margin for error.  As he notes (sotto) to one guest, practically reading the man's mind: "We will have one chance--and believe me, that is not it!"

The Equalizer starts balancing the books immediately, taking the place of another party member and subtly communicating that no picture ID's should be turned over when Shalhoub demands identification.  Once taken, McCall correctly deduces every move in advance that will be made to keep his fellow captives fearful and off-balance, diffuses well meaning but ill-advised heroic attempts by the both laymen and the local police, and waits for just the right moment to turn the tables on the middle easterners.  Robert's patience is tested more than once, as McCall has to grit his teeth through an attempted (off-screen) rape of Clarkson and the execution of another hostage "to speed things along".

Many early EQUALIZER episodes featured performers on their way to stardom, and "Breakpoint" marked the television debut for Tony Shalhoub as the head of the captors.  The future MONK star would turn down terrorist roles after this ("Having done it once was more than enough." he said in one interview) but Shalhoub established himself well with this performance.  Dapper, calculating and calm but very capable of swift, brutal violence, Shalhoub's character is sort of a forerunner to Alan Rickman's even more elegant criminal in DIE HARD (1988): Hans Gruber without the humorous lines.

Other parallels with the Bruce Willis hit can be seen with McCall's sometime right hand man Mickey (Szarabajka) trying to find his way to the wedding party through the air conditioning ducts once he learns McCall is among the hostages.  I'll try to avoid spoilers, but intentionally or not, DIE HARD also lifted a critical moment of its denouement from the conclusion here.

In addition to Shalhoub's first small screen performance, "Breakpoint" features Patricia Clarkson's second (after a SPENSER: FOR HIRE) as the beautiful bride who has a bit of apprehension (since her father shared McCall's former line of work).  TV veteran Richard Hamilton (BRET MAVERICK) also contributes fine work in an almost wordless supporting role that nevertheless will stick in your memory afterward.

An expert but no superhuman, McCall consistently makes the most out of whatever tools he has as his disposal.  A reason is eventually given for every one of The Equalizer's actions, but in Mayberry's hands, the audience is never bludgeoned with the point to be made.  Woodward communicates everything to us with efficient expressions and terse dialogue.  The (limited) background information on McCall's relationship with his late colleague is also welcome--he remained a mysterious figure throughout this first season, of which "Breakpoint" was a clear highlight.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

While the dispatchment of one bad guy is a tad unconvincing, "Breakpoint" remains engaging throughout, very well written and directed.  This entry offers all of Robert McCall's skills under fire on full display, and in doing so serves as a unique installment of THE EQUALIZER as well as a solid introduction to the show for the uninitiated.  Clarkson and Shalhoub both show the acting chops we would become very familiar with later in early roles.  This episode is good enough to make you understand why Max Belfort was so upset about those Tuesday night phone calls.  (**** out of four)

The Horn Section Salutes: Edward Woodward (1930-2009)

Admittedly, I've been lazy lately, to the point of being about a week after the fact with this one, but I just couldn't let the passing of the one and only Equalizer go without comment. Last week, actor Edward Woodward, best known to us 1980's children as Robert McCall, a.k.a. THE EQUALIZER, but also the star of the terrific films BREAKER MORANT and THE WICKER MAN (1973; not the shitty Nicolas Cage remake) among many other impressive credits, died at the age of 79.

My tribute will focus on THE EQUALIZER, which was simultaneously a blast from the past and a breath of fresh air when it premiered on CBS in the fall of 1985. By that time, it was practically a rule that any "aged" and presumably, unattractive leading man in a crime drama required a "young sidekick" to keep the attention of the ladies. Think HARDCASTLE AND McCORMACK, and the latter day BARNABY JONES among others. William Conrad was trusted to carry CANNON by himself in the early 1970's, but a decade later it was decided that he required Joe Penny's help to rope in the young female viewers for JAKE AND THE FATMAN.

THE EQUALIZER went against this, with the title character played by the overweight, 5'9", toupeed and then 55 year old Woodward. While he often called in favors from various old contacts, he worked alone with no sidekick. The Equalizer, a.k.a. Robert McCall, had resigned from a long career in intelligence, no longer able to stomach some of the things he'd done as an operative and seeking a form of redemption via selflessly helping the helpless. "Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer" read his daily newspaper ad.

It was the ultimate testament to Woodward's superior acting ability that this stocky, less than physically imposing, polite Brit in late middle age was thoroughly convincing as such a resourceful badass. Wisely the producers revealed only a little of McCall's past at a time, keeping him properly mysterious while slowly letting viewers get to know him. At least, on this side of the pond. For those old enough to remember it, THE EQUALIZER at times seemed like a plausible sequel to Woodward's British series CALLAN, in which Woodward's title character worked as an operative.

I have yet to get around to posting a full review of THE EQUALIZER: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON, but I'll highlight a couple of standouts for you to Netflix in your own spare time:

"China Rain" (9/25/85): A young and very appealing Lauren Tom is a maid whose son is mistaken for a millionaire's and kidnapped. McCall calls in a few old markers, enlists the help of a few old friends from the agency (including, for the first time, frequent guest star Keith Szarabajka as "Mickey") and, unbeknownst to them, NYPD's finest in outwitting the kidnappers.

You'll get a few giggles at an era in which a 3 character code was topnotch computer security, but director Richard Compton (MACON COUNTY LINE) really captures the seediness of the city at night and establishes McCall and many of his relationships with just the right dollops of humor and mystery. IMO a better introduction to the series than the actual pilot.

"Breakpoint" (2/19/86): The favorite episode of the entire series for many, this was the very first television appearance for MONK himself, Tony Shalhoub (as the lead terrorist) and also featured a young Patricia Clarkson. McCall's many years of experience come in handier than ever here as he is part of a wedding party taken hostage in a high rise building by terrorists who have no idea of his background.

McCall anticipates every single move meant to keep the hostages nervous and on edge.  For example, he knows that they'll give part of the original group a false sense of security early on, then take that very group hostage. He also grasps that he'll have to wait for the right moment to strike, even though it means gritting his teeth through the torture of a fellow hostage close to him and the possibility that some will not survive. A terrific episode that predates DIE HARD by two years and also shows yet again the resourcefulness of McCall, who can even find a useful weapon in the men's restroom.

Once you see these two, really, the entire first season is well worth checking out. The show started to slip in Season 3, when Woodward suffered heart attack and was off-screen too much, and shortly after the scripts started to sag in the fourth and final season. Still, Woodward's presence makes almost any episode worthwhile.

He tried again on U.S. television a year after THE EQUALIZER's demise, but unfortunately OVER MY DEAD BODY proved to be a terrible vehicle, barely lasted a season, and was quickly forgotten.

Still, Edward Woodward's signature role on U.S. television is still fondly remembered a quarter century later, and well worth Netflixing a disc or two to check out. R.I.P. Robert McCall.

The long promised 40th film review is forthcoming. Pinky swear!  Don't send McCall after me!

The EQUALIZER is here!

"It's about damn time THIS made it to DVD" -- Volume 1   










Reason to rejoice--one of the most overlooked action dramas of the 1980's finally makes it to DVD this week, as THE EQUALIZER: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON was released on Tuesday the 12th.

Distinguished British stage and screen actor Edward Woodward played Robert McCall, a.k.a. "The Equalizer", in this CBS crime drama from 1985 to 1989. McCall was formerly a government operative who resigned in disgust for reasons (in the first season, anyway) unclear and began dedicating his considerable resources into helping those in need. "Got a Problem? Odds against you? Call The Equalizer" read his ad, which was as close to "Have Gun, Will Travel" as it got in the 1980's. McCall may have become as frustrated with red tape as Paul Kersey and Harry Callahan, but he was much more elegant in dealing with his villains (while still every bit as commanding).

The first season was by far the best, and yes, you can expect it reviewed here as soon as I get the necessary (22) hours away from job, other hobbies and just plain laziness to watch season one in its entireity.

Tony Shalhoub, later to become famous as Monk, got his TV start here in the first season's best episode (IMO), Breakpoint, in which McCall is among those taken hostage at a wedding reception. It is here that McCall's vast experience really comes into play, as he knows they will only have one chance to escape the situation, and he must wait for it---even if it means waiting through the torture of other hostages.

Other first season standouts include China Rain, guest starring a young Lauren Tom (BAD SANTA), in which McCall helps a housekeeper after her son is kidnapped by mistake; The Defector, in which McCall shows a more sensitive side in helping a young man deal with bullies (he's also helping a double agent at the same time, a typical Cold War era TV plot) and Bump and Run, in which McCall must deal with a vigilante killer who is pinning the Equalizer's ad on his victims.

Oh Hell, there's a lot of episodes to recommend. I guess I'll just shut up now and save the rest for the review.