The Equalizer 3

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, Remo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio, Zakaria Hamza, Sonia Ammar, Melissa Leo (cameo)
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller
2023

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is gravely injured and recuperates in a small Southern Italy town, but soon discovers the townsfolk are being terrorized by a ruthless crime boss.

Review:

Tim: It's such a pleasant surprise to see Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua round out their Equalizer trilogy. Washington has never done sequels before, so it feels like a real treat to see him play the same character for the third time. None of these movies are especially great, but they've all been entertaining. The Equalizer 3 feels quite unique, a different entry to close out this franchise. I did enjoy it, despite some obvious flaws.

First off, the whole movie felt somewhat disconnected from the previous two. McCall is hurt in the opening scene and spends his time recovering in the south of Italy. The location becomes almost a character as the film progresses. The movie leans heavily into character development and drama, and as the film proceeds, we get to know many of the townspeople. This is all fine and I appreciated it- it made the movie feel a bit slower than I'd expected, but the character-driven quality makes it feel more like a drama for a good deal of its runtime. This is absolutely not your average, mindless action movie. It's interesting to see McCall as he interacts with those around him. It gives us a quite different side to the character. At times, it almost felt like I was watching a totally different character (outside his trademark quirks). The departure in setting and character shifts were a bit disjointed, but it definitely felt like the trilogy was trying to end McCall's story. They were showing how he has changed as a character.

The plot itself was fine, but it walks very familiar territory. The whole story unfolds pretty much exactly as you'd expect. There's nothing new here, nothing we haven't seen dozens and dozens of times before. The investment in character development maybe gives us a bit more of an emotional investment in the story than other movies, but the script contents itself by giving us a path we've traveled many times before. That might have been a bit disappointing. I would have liked at least something that felt new or different. The story is never that, though. It's still a lot of fun seeing this character in these circumstances, but we know exactly what to expect.

I did enjoy seeing Washington in this role. I've always been a huge Washington fan- he's one of the best actors out there. He certainly doesn't challenge himself with this role, but it was comforting to see him back in it. Robert McCall is a cool, interesting character and I'd love to have seen more movies with him. Maybe they'll reverse course and make more? There's so much entertainment to be had watching Washington play comfortable roles like this. He's exceptionally good at it. I did love the reteaming of Washington with Dakota Fanning. It's been nearly two decades since their exceptional Man on Fire work. They've obviously both changed a lot, but I loved seeing the confident, effective actor Fanning has become. Her character felt a bit superfluous as the story progressed, but I loved their scenes together so much. I desperately wish they had more interactions. Fanning gives a strong performance, more than holding her own opposite Washington.

The rest of the supporting cast was solid. It was fun seeing David Denman in a small role. Gaia Scodellaro did some nice things in her performance. Remo Girone was warm and memorable in his. Andrea Scarduzio was a bit too on-the-nose, but made for a worthwhile villain in the end. The rest of the cast worked well, I was glad they used so many international actors here.

I did enjoy The Equalizer 3 from beginning to end. It's definitely more of a drama than I expected, but Antoine Fuqua makes sure to deliver a few effective action sequences. Washington is definitely getting older, so they're more muted and restrained, but still wildly entertaining to see McCall do his thing. There's a few minor action moments that are excellent, although I have to admit there's no standout sequences. This is purely an action movie for older viewers, who want to see something closer to reality than many of the action movies we get these days. I certainly appreciated that and while I'd likely say this movie falls behind the others, I do believe the change of pace kept this film at the same level of quality as the previous one. This trilogy doesn't offer too much that's great, but it was at least good from the first film to the third, and that's cause for celebration. The second and third could never quite capture the spark of the original, but they got fairly close.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Equalizer, The Equalizer 2, Man on Fire, Deja Vu, Inside Man