Very disappointing...

How sad is this?

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Before "Law & Order," there was "The Equalizer." A one-man judge, jury & sometime executioner. As one who grew up watching this show during the Big '80s, I had long waited until it was released to DVD. Stewart Copeland's (The Police) pulsating rhythm beats perfectly accompanies the series. Edward Woodward is An Englishman In New York. A New York of yesteryear that is a far cry from the New York of today - safest, largest city in the nation. Like "Law & Order," "The Equalizer" was shot entirely on location. With his stern English demeanor, "The Equalizer" does what he does best: the calm before the storm. Whether you want to reminisce or tire of today's reality show saturation, "The Equalizer" is a must-see!

Edward Woodward did a fantastic job in The Equalizer series back in the mid 80's, I probably watched every one of them, and now, on HBO, the Five Days series also features Mr. Woodward, playing the grand father of the missing lady.I noticed this October 16th 2007.I thought it was interesting, he is one of those actors who has the ability to deliver a performance without showing like an acting job, a true natural. Another great component for The Equalizer's great outcome, in my opinion, was the fact the he delivered justice in a way that unfortunately is not possible in real life, but at the end of each episode you would feel good about it.

Series is very much enjoyed. I never got the opportunity to watch it when it was first aired in the 80's. Edward Woodward is an excellent actor and makes the character of Robert McCall real. In fact he seems to project that ability in all the various roles he has played in other movies as well. His range of acting ability is as diverse as the roles he plays. One review even called him Britain's answer to Sean Connery. The Equalizer should be aired - all four seasons. It is better that the fanciful detective tales being carried now. In addition to good scripts, the photography of New York and DC is excellent. The supporting cast for each episode is well planned.

The consensus of the other reviewers is that this is an excellent detective/mystery series; certainly I agree with that and probably cannot add anything of substance to their comments. As to the program, all I will say is Edward Woodword's fine, convincing acting, the excellent plot development (in every episode, each of which usually stands on its own), the choice of a great supporting cast and Stewart Copeland's fine scores--what more could one want in a TV show. In fact, The Equalizer was and probably still is too good for television.My real purpose in originally writing this was to attempt to prod the owner of the copyright, Universal, to make all the episodes (and possibly some that might be in the can and not yet shown) available on DVD. From the plethora of very positive comments it is obvious that this is not only an artistic success but something that likely would be commercially feasible. I first wrote: "Should it not be made available on DVD, I guess I will have to content myself to try to find all the episodes on VHS and dub them onto DVD-R." Since then I have obtained a set from TVDVDPlanet.com of (it claims) all the episodes on 22 DVD-Rs in boxes with no manufacturer on the label. I have viewed several and they were crudely taped from TV(some even say A&E on them). Video quality is very poor. Apparently this is region free. It seems all are DVD-R not DVD and quality is awful. Packages are shipped from Canada.Since writing the above I learned that Season One would be officially released by Universal in the States and it has been. This is a region 1 DVD. It is a 5 disc set with all 22 episodes from the first season. It can be ordered at Amazon.com and other sellers. Technical quality is very good. I did notice that one episode was in stereo though the packaging says mono. Definitely worthwhile and I hope they follow through on the rest.Since writing the above I have noted that the domain TVDVDPlanet.com has been taken away from one Alan Knight of Key West Florida by Planet Entertainment, Inc. The complaint alleged that the website may be offering unauthorized and infringing product to the public. See http://www.tvdvdplanet.com/tvdvdplanet.pdf. Nothing was said about the "quality" (or lack of it) of the product.Thomas J McKeon Indianapolis