The Equalizer 3

In 2014, director Antoine Fuqua released The Equalizer, a film based on the television series of the same name that aired from 1985 to 1989. Where actor Edward Woodward played the role of Robert McCall in the series, none other than Denzel Washington was chosen for this film, who of course already had a whole arsenal of this kind of action films to his name in the past. What is funny is that in this third part of The Equalizer he is reunited with Dakota Fanning. The two already starred together in the 2004 film Man on Fire, but Fanning was only a ten-year-old girl there. In this film, she plays a CIA agent who tracks down McCall after an anonymous phone call to her agency leads her to a very large drug discovery on a wine farm. After a very strong first part, a fairly mediocre second part of The Equalizer followed in 2018. Now, five years later, you hold your breath a bit whether this third part is going to be worth it, of course. Well, that sounds quite negative compared to the second part, but it was just where the first part excelled, the second part had simply become more of a standard action print. Certainly not a bad film, but just less than its predecessor.

In this film, the story moves to Italy, Sicily to be precise. McCall ends up badly injured in Sicily, where he is rescued by the local agent Gio Bonucci, who takes him to the local doctor Enzo Arisio. McCall comes to and befriends the locals. The village is only ravaged by the mafia and of course McCall won't let that happen just like that. The film takes a long time to explain everything. It all starts on the wine farm, where McCall is on the trail of serious criminals and also murders them. The action scenes leave little to the imagination and are sometimes just rancidly portrayed. After that, the film slows down considerably and takes a good look at McCall's recovery and how he befriends the local population. When he leaves an anonymous tip to CIA agent Emma Collins, it is of course a simple calculation that she will quickly track McCall. Meanwhile, McCall watches with sorrow how the local population is put under heavy pressure by the mafia. Of course you immediately understand that they shouldn't have messed with McCall.

Most of the film seems like a long advertising film for Italy and it may evoke the holiday feeling in many viewers. The images are absolutely beautiful and eye-catching, something that enhances the atmosphere of the film. Still, a point of criticism can be made with the bad guys from the story, because we can't really say that they really express a lot of threat so that McCall faces a real challenge. But also the character of CIA agent Emma Collins has no added value in the film. You will therefore often wonder why she has so much screen time in the film. Not that it's really annoying or anything, but it doesn't really add value. Perhaps because this is the only film of the three that is under two hours, this storyline may have been intended as filler to keep the film from being too short. It now feels a bit like a wander in the story where the writers didn't really know where they wanted to go. The ending is what you can really expect from it and is of course accompanied by a lot of violence, but this so-called final chapter does not become as good as the first part.

The Equalizer 3 may not be as good as the very strong first part, but it certainly beats the disappointing second part in every way. Denzel Washington returns for the third and, according to the subtitle, the last time as the ice-cold and tough retired commando who carried out so-called 'black operations' for the government. This time the story moves to the beautiful Sicily in Italy, where Robert McCall gets into trouble with the mafia this time. The role of Dakota Fanning is very superfluous and really adds nothing to the film at all, the mafia members don't really radiate a lot of threat, so as a viewer you know that McCall will not be faced with his toughest job. Still, the action is nice in the film and it also has a pleasant running time that has been kept under two hours. Whether this really will be the final piece in the Equalizer series is of course still the question, but it is clear that this is very pleasant viewing and simply an excellent action film.

The Equalizer 3 is the last chapter of the Equalizer franchise, and is directed by Antoine Foqua, and stars, of course, Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, and Dakota Fanning as a CIA officer.

As an action movie fan, I really enjoyed the Equalizer movies, still being aware that we are not talking about masterpieces. They are fun and enjoyable vigilante movies where Denzel Washington is freaking cool and badass as he takes down, alone, large and structured criminal organizations. Without the value he brings into these movies, I don't know if they would be even worth watching. The Equalizer 3 fits perfectly into this path, with some slight changes.

The first thing to say is that this movie is very very gory and brutal, much more compared to the first two movies. Clearly it was decided to go one level up, so one needs to be prepared. The movie looks very dark, the Italian Mafia gives sort of modernized Godfather vibes, and most importantly, is beautifully shot. All of that can be appreciated since the very beginning of the movie, where fantastic camera work is done as the viewer follows a man entering a building full of dead people, brutally murdered. This very intense initial scene really sets the tone of the movie, to which the music score also fits really well.

The movie is located in a tiny Italian village, whose people are constantly threatened by the mafia, where "business" brought McCall (Denzel), too. This is the third big action movie to be shot in Italy (after Indy 5 and Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning) to come out in theaters in 2023, at least that I know of. Whether or not this decision is based on financial benefits of some sort, it provided The Equalizer 3 with beautiful and picturesque scenery.

As an Italian and fan of Denzel Washington, it was really entertaining to watch Denzel Washington sitting at the cafe, talking broken Italian, making friends, getting familiar with the people and the quiet atmosphere of the town. I found the representation of the town and of the people authentic, very well done, and not too stereotypical. The Italian language is real Italian spoken by Italian actors, the accents are real, the film is shot in different Italian towns on the Amalfi coast, and so on. One can see the great attention to detail and care that was put into the making of this movie, which I mentioned above about the directing. I did have a "what?!" moment, though, that I could not wrap my head around: Aminah (Gaia Scodellaro) takes McCall on a tour of the village, by telling him that she'll help him discover the authentic food specialties of the town. As they go on a stroll and talk, they pass by some food stands, and Aminah shows McCall different authentic Italian dishes. Then, however, she invites him to grab a Kebab (great, but not Italian at all!), which he does! Seriously, what happened there? There was all that nice fish and stuff, too-why a Kebab??

I have read a lot of criticism about the action in this movie, especially about it being too little. The problem that I see with the action is with the fact that McCall is never really challenged by any of his enemies rather than with the length of the action scenes. In other words, none of the villains or his men are even close to Robert McCall's level, so it seems quite easy for him to take them down in creatively brutal ways. This applies, unfortunately, also to the ending of the movie, which is, anyway, very very powerful. Also, the non-action parts build the tension between McCall and the villain, and they are not boring at all.

Another weak point of the movie, from my point of view, has to do with some of the supporting characters and their relationship to the hero (McCall). Dakota Fanning's character (CIA) could have been a very good helper in the fight against the mafia, but instead she ends up not doing so much at all... Along with that, one aspect of McCall being in this town is the attachments that the townspeople form with him, but we actually don't have much evidence of this beyond him eating in a cafe once in a while. We do see McCall having an emotional response when they are threatened, we do see him getting comfortable in the town, but while a deeper layer to that is mentioned, the viewer doesn't directly witness this: for example, when McCall says that the people of the town brought him peace, or that he understood that this is the place where he belongs. All these sentiments sound a bit out of place and don't match the level of interactions that we as viewers have witnessed. We expect some deeper character development to happen in the "kebab"/walks scene, but the dialogue between McCall and Aminah doesn't actually build to anything relevant.

Overall, a very good and extremely brutal vigilante movie, with some weaknesses, very well shot, with a fantastic Denzel Washington doing very badass things. Worthwhile final chapter, 7 stars!

This is a decent and satisfying end to a trilogy. Remember the good ol' days, back in the day, when movies stopped at 3? No Fast X, Saw X, Indiana Jones cracking a whip at 85.

Things feel more complete at three.

The way things should be.

A beginning, a middle and an end.

And not some old man doing ridiculous things way beyond his age or physical capability.

Denzel is one of the greats.

And he deserves credit for never taking a role too far.

He's as much a presence on the screen here as he ever has been.

His age and wisdom is his real strength.

Oh, there will be punches thrown. Bones broken and many cries of agony.

But at least it comes from the villains on screen and not those in the audience.

Coastal Italy is gorgeous.

Denzel is a living legend.

You've seen the other two films in this series.

Wrap it up nicely with this installment.

Ciao.

Following the disappointingly lackluster sequel that notably marked the first time Denzel ever agreed to a sequel, "The Equalizer 3" remarkably surpasses expectations - though admittedly, I had set the bar fairly low. But any reservations were dispelled early on, as the movie plunged straight into its visceral, stylish action that sees Denzel masterfully blending the vibes of John Wick, Liam Neeson's unyielding avenger in "Taken", and his own enigmatic survivor from "The Book of Eli".

Age seems like just a number when it comes to Denzel. As he inches closer to 70, there's no slowing down. The film cleverly incorporates his age into his character, offering action sequences that lean more on intelligent combat rather than sheer brute strength and stamina akin to Rocky or John Wick. There's an elegance in how he maneuvers, outthinking and outmaneuvering adversaries in ways that leave you awestruck.

I absolutely loved witnessing the reunion of Denzel and Dakota Fanning, their electric dynamic echoing reminiscently of "Man On Fire". Their chemistry is undeniably magnetic, and adds layers of depth to the already charged narrative.

One of the movie's masterstrokes is its unyielding focus on the sheer prowess of Denzel's character. He remains ever the cool, unshakeable force of nature, perpetually ten steps ahead of everyone, leaving both foes and audience in anticipation of his next move.

While some might dismiss it as yet another action-filled extravaganza, for me, "The Equalizer 3" was the epitome of action cinema artistry. A mixture of raw, over-the-top action, the evergreen charm of Denzel, and a touch of Italian style made it the ultimate cinematic cocktail. It's a whirlwind of entertainment, action, and thrill - and I found myself completely immersed and gratified.

In short, "The Equalizer 3" delivers in spades. For fans of Denzel and the action genre, it's a treat that shouldn't be missed.

My expectations for this one were moderate, I enjoyed the first, I wasn't blown away by the second, this third and final movie is actually really good.

It's a pretty good storyline, with Robert of course central to events and fighting for justice. He takes on Italian gang bosses, and of course there are multiple fight and action sequences, but in this film, he felt mortal, in the second I felt they made him into some sort of superhero, you felt he was indestructible, I didn't get that here.

The action sequences are great, and it is very, very well produced, but the true winner here is The Italian scenery, it looks sublime, and arguably enhances the movie.

Washington, outstanding once again, he really does nail it. This film has prompted me to get a hold of the original Edward Woodward series, that's up next.

Entertaining.

7/10.