Denzel Washington is back in his role as Mr. Robert McCall. A first for the legendary, critically acclaimed actor who has never done a sequel to any of his films — until now.

Playing the role of a former assassin who spent his life training and then was hired to execute people for money, he has found a way out by the means of faking his own death in order to start over, completely off the record.

Now, looking out for as many people and friends as he can on his own, while attempting to correct a few things in his life, he truly defines an equal balance that some would compare to that of a vigilante.

As he attempts to protect his friends and strangers alike from any threats that arise, a powerful and shockingly familiar force rises behind a foreign assassination and the murder of his best friend.

Trying to protect those he loves from further strikes and figure out who is behind the murders of those he love, he must walk a fine line to protect the blows from proving fatal.

Unfortunately, the solid performance he turns in is wasted by one of the most choppy plots imaginable. With predictability in far too many places and a loose grasp in its scattered attempts to be creative, it falls flat and short of its premise, and will disappoint the hopes of even the diehard action film lovers.

The pacing is particularly a problem, making it hard to recognize where exactly the story ties together. As a result, it’s difficult to recognize where the film is at throughout its awkward exposition and subsequent rising actions.

Most importantly, it fails to blend together the three act structure it loosely follows.

Furthermore, the pacing — or lack thereof in this case — spells trouble for a film with great cinematography and amazing action sequences, as well as an A-list leading man.

Denzel Washington is really the one and only bright spot in this film, delivering his acting on point as always. He successfully delivers a focused performance for a character that is not to be messed with.

Well, we can only imagine what the movie would have been if the film’s story, direction, and editing process would have put in the same effort, instead of making another mediocre, cliche action movie.

 Alex Novak is an entertainment reviewer. Reach him at [email protected]