Robert McCall is portrayed as a mysterious hero in The Equalizer who aims to restore peace in Boston from violent Russian mobsters. He sees a young vulnerable girl being abused and feels compelled to take down the gang. As a former hit-man, he is determined to leave that life behind. He builds a connection with the girl, encouraging her that she can change her lifestyle. At his store, he courageously fights back when it is robbed, returning all stolen goods. His casual clothing contrasts with the girl's revealing outfits and wigs, showing her vulnerability and search for identity. The hybrid genres of action, crime and thriller will appeal to fans of those styles.

1. 4) Characters: How are the characters portrayed in the trailers? What are they doing and what
does it show about them? What are they wearing and what does it tell us about them? What do
they say and what does it tell us about them? What do we understand about the characters? (Do
the Research Methods Table - you can do one table for all your research into characters, settings
and narrative if you want. Categories: Unit 1 Criterion 2, Unit 1 Criterion 3)
In the trailer of The Equalizer Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), is portrayed as a hero who
restores peace in Boston as it is being ruled by violent Russian mobsters. We see him begin his
quest when he sees a vulnerable young girl being abused by the gang and feels he should be the
one taking them down. He comes across very mysterious but we know he’s got a past of being a
hit - man, but he is quite adamant he’s left that in the past. As the trailer continues we see him
build a connection with the girl and constantly tell her she can be whatever she wants to be and
that if she wants to change the lifestyle she is living that she can. We go on to see him in his work
environment he is loved by many and when the Russian mobsters rob his store he immediately
fights back borrowing a weapon from the store and returning all goods that had been stolen. This
shows us he is courageous and will do anything for friends and family, regardless the extreme
measures he has to go through to restore safety in the area. His clothing consists of casual attire
e.g. shirts, and jeans. We see the young girl in a number numerous outfits that can be seen as”
revealing” as she always pairs her outfits with wigs. This shows us the audience that she is quite
vulnerable and that she doesn’t want to show us her real identity and she hasn ’t quite discovered
herself yet. The film has a hybrid genre to it as it is action, crime, and thriller. This is effective
because its target audience will strengthen as it targets to those fans.