Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he discovers his friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends' protector by taking on the mafia. Director Antoine Fuqua and actor Denzel Washington return for this supposed final chapter in the Equalizer trilogy. It’s important to note that the Equalizer series contains the only sequels that Denzel Washington has ever started in. This time around, Robert McCall has settled down in southern Italy after being saved by a local doctor and befriends the residents of the little town. Once Robert finds out that the citizens are being strong armed by the Italian mob, well, I think you can deduce it’s going to be bad news for them. Right off the bat, it comes as no surprise that Denzel does not disappoint. He retains his smooth talking charisma, likability factor, and it’s very believable that he is able to quickly make new friends in this small town. After a brutally impressive opening prologue, the 45 minutes that follow are a slow build, but not without meaningful purpose for the character of Robert and the community he finds himself at peace with.
You really get the sense that Robert has found calm in his retirement, which makes it all the more frustrating for him once he is confronted by the dilemma to either turn the other cheek or take on the gang members that have terrorized the innocent people of this town. As the movie shows, being a faithful man of Christ, there’s just no way for him to redeem himself in the eyes of the maker if he looks the other way when innocents are being hurt and living in fear. One of the trademark elements of these films are the tension filled dialogue scenes between Robert and those who threaten him. In this film, there a more than a few moments in which Robert seems to be in a defensive position, but once he gives the bad guys an ominous warning, you just know that they don’t stand a chance. It’s chilling, badass, and amusing all at the same time and that’s not even counting the savagely satisfying kills he performs on the baddies. There are plenty of long takes and the stark colour palette adds a distinct flavor the previous entries were missing. Nearly 20 years after the release of the incredibly underrated Tony Scott film Man on Fire, Dakota Fanning reunites with Denzel and although I won’t go into detail about Fanning’s character or her role here, the dynamic she has with McCall is sharp, snappy and their chemistry hasn’t skipped a beat.
This is the most violent, gruesome, grisly, and gory installment in the Equalizer series. Sure, the villains are hollow cookie cutter gang members who do predictably awful things like peddling harmful drugs and beating up women in front of their children, but the movie makes you hate them just enough so that the barbarity in which Robert inflicts on the them is extremely rewarding to witness. Even with the abbreviated 103 minute runtime, the movie has some pacing lulls and it never reaches the non stop balls to the wall standards most recently set by the John Wick series, but then again, it’s not trying to. This is even more grounded and street level than the first two films, so those wanting more constant explosive action may feel underwhelmed. In spite of the qualms I had, I can’t help but find simple pleasure and amusement in this and the other Equalizer movies. The ending itself was very fitting and gave a cathartic closure to Robert McCall’s story, so I’m hoping that this series doesn’t get milked dry with more sequels. Overall, while it may have some pacing lulls and weak villains, The Equalizer 3 is nonetheless an entertaining conclusion to Antoine Fuqua’s trilogy that benefits from a refreshing change in scenery, an introspective thematic approach, and a no nonsense Denzel Washington who solidifies Robert McCall as one of his best roles.
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