Overview: 'The Equalizer' is an American action-adventure television series that stars British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former secret agent of an unnamed organization (often referred to simply as "The Agency" or "The Company"), who tries to atone for past sins by offering, free of charge, his services as a troubleshooter, a protector, and an investigator.

DVD Verdict: 'The Equalizer' was an action-adventure TV series unlike any that I had ever seen before. It effectively mixed espionage, crime drama, and the private eye genres into a wonderful film noir package. Robert McCall (played to perfection by Edward Woodward) was no Mike Hammer, nor was he meant to be. He relied more on brains than brawn and his plans worked like a game of chess. Whether he attended an embassy affair or was running down a lead on a guns dealer in the South Bronx, McCall seemed right at home.

Disenchanted with his cloak-and-dagger life in the CIA, and perhaps seeking some redemption for some of his darker exploits in the name of God and Country, he broke away from "The Company," and offered his services to people in trouble.

McCall's strength was his abilities as a strategist and tactician. Although he was quite able in shootouts and fisticuffs, he tended to leave the rough stuff to other operatives who sometimes took time off from their day jobs (usually in the CIA) to work for McCall. One of his most trusted colleagues was his comrade-in-arms Mickey Kostmeyer (played by Keith Szarabajka), a Company man who seemed willing to dive into any dangerous situation for the thrill.

Although McCall resigned from the CIA, he continued to maintain contact with his friend and former boss, a man known only as Control (played by Robert Lansing). There is a history of camaraderie between Control and McCall, but Control's job tends to get in the way of that friendship. When one of Control's operations involved lying to McCall, and McCall confronted him, Control's only response was, "It's what I do for a living, Robert."

I found the story lines of internal CIA `political' struggles to be realistic. Remember, this was just after the infamous Senator Frank Church Commission which effectively gutted the CIA. We built the CIA to prevent any more Pearl Harbors. Then through internal political dissention (and ideology sympathy) we made it a hollow, blind Man. Many veteran Case Officers were `forced out' at that time.

In the Army I made the acquaintance of some Mickey Kostmayer types. I liked the acting of Keith Szarabajka. His naturalness made the character believable according to the real people that I met.

After Woodward's heart attack, I thought that the inclusion of Richard Jordan was well cast. I was sorry to see his character fade out. He was just starting to come into his own.

All in all, a wonderful show with high production values. I'm only sorry it lasted four seasons. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Bonus Features of:

All 88 episodes of The Equalizer from Season 1 to Season 4
All 13 episodes of CI5: The New Professionals starring Edward Woodward
The last movie starring Edward Woodward, 'A Congregation of Ghosts'
The Story of The Equalizer: Featurette with series actors William Zabka and Keith Szarabajka about the making of the series
The Equalizer Booklet – Series booklet featuring episode synopsis, cast biographies, behind the scenes images and more
Image Gallery with behind the scenes shots

www.TheEqualizerDVD.com