Best Revenge Thriller Just Entered Netflix Top, and It’s Not John Wick

10 years ago, the world saw the first John Wick movie, where Keanu Reeves ’ titular character confronts criminals on his way to avenge his dog. It became a huge hit that rekindled people’s interest in both The Matrix ’s star and in action-packed revenge tales.

It may come as a surprise that earlier in 2014 quite a similar thriller was released, but later became overshadowed by Reeves’ gem. Fans say it deserves more attention than John Wick, luckily, it is now getting a second life thanks to the Netflix audience, as it’s now holding the 8th place in the platform’s global chart.

The movie’s plot revolves around Robert McCall, a former CIA officer who decides to settle down and to begin a new, quiet life. However, he’s unable to stand by when he meets a teenage girl who is taken under the control of violent Russian gangsters.

It’s high time for McCall to come out of self-imposed retirement and to serve vengeance against those who dared to brutalize the weak ones, when justice must be brought.

Such a premise now seems to be typical of the genre, as we have already seen such action gems, as not only John Wick, but also Charlize Theron ’s Atomic Blonde, Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody, Dev Patel’s Monkey Man and Netflix’s recent Trigger Warning.

However, back in 2014, before Reeves even became an avenger, it presented a wild concept that attracted millions of people worldwide. It’s reflected in the film’s box office numbers, as it grossed $192.3M on a budget of $55–73M, while JW earned only $86M.

Titled The Equalizer and based on the 1980s spy thriller series, it stars Denzel Washington and offers much more suspense and plot development than Reeves’ hit.

“They managed to make The Equalizer a much deeper movie, with a slower pace and much better character development. The violence has much more impact and is better filmed,” claims Redditor @buchecha.

Washington’s gem is truly a solid movie, especially if you miss good old actions of the 1980s that centered not only on the fighting sequences, but rather on their characters.

You can revisit The Equalizer to see whether it can really beat John Wick, as it’s now available for streaming on Netflix.