The Equalizer 3 Review

Directed By: Antoine Fuqua
Written By: Richard Wenk, Michael Sloan, and Richard Lindheim
Runtime: 109 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence and some language.

Denzel Washington – Robert McCall
Dakota Fanning – Emma Collins
Andrea Scarduzio – Vincent Quaranta
Remo Girone – Enzo Arisio
Eugenio Mastrandrea – Gio Bonucci
Gaia Scodellaro – Aminah
David Denman – Frank Conroy
Andrea Dodero – Marco Quaranta
Bruno Bilotta – Don Lorenzo Vitale

The esteemed Denzel Washington re-teams with his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua for the third entry in The Equalizer film franchise. The plot runs thinner than ever for Washington’s third time at bat as McCall continues his mission to deliver righteous vengeance to evildoers. Nonetheless, while The Equalizer is incredibly thin on plot and character development, Washington’s charisma and some solid direction from Fuqua manage to provide a suitably entertaining, if somewhat abbreviated, experience.

The Equalizer 3 opens with the stoic McCall (Washington) outside the country on an unexplained job, running afoul of a Sicilian crime boss (Bilotta). While McCall has no problem dispatching the gangsters, he slips up, catching a bullet after letting his guard down. Whilst returning to the mainland, McCall is halfway to a dirt nap before being rescued by a helpful Carabinieri (Bonucci), who takes McCall to his idyllic, coast Italian hometown of Altamonte. McCall is nursed back to health, thanks to the efforts of the sagely Doctor Enzo Arisio (Girone). McCall is charmed by the quaint majesty of Altamonte and the respectful dignity of their local townsfolk.

Unfortunately, the residents of Altamonte are being squeezed by the local mafia gang, led by the detestable Vincent Quaranta (Scarduzio). Quaranta looks to be expanding his efforts and trade in Altamonte, and of course, McCall is not one to look the other way when injustice is happening right in front of him. Meanwhile, McCall starts drawing the attention of a CIA analyst, Emma Collins (Fanning), to expose the activities of the Camorra he took down while in Italy. Collins begins investigating McCall, unsure if he is an enemy or ally, but their connection soon becomes obvious to fans who have watched the previous films.

The main attraction here is undoubtedly Washington’s performance as the unyielding, unstoppable McCall, and Washington’s performance makes the whole experience captivating. Washington is as magnetic and compelling as ever, depicting a character who is genteel, yet incredibly ruthless, vicious, and sadistic when it comes to dispatching those who deserve it. Fuqua is competent enough to realize the importance of this compelling dichotomy with the McCall character, putting it on full display throughout The Equalizer 3.

What’s missing is The Equalizer almost appears to lack in an actual third act, or at least a sizable chunk of the second. Once Quaranta’s thugs become aware of McCall, the film becomes interesting and suspenseful. Then, the plot rushes to an underwhelming finale. After that, it’s pretty much over. The Equalizer 3 comes to an abrupt finish when the plot appears to be building to a bigger reveal. It spends copious time setting up the Camorra subplot with Collins, but it doesn’t go anywhere. As amusing as it is to see a now adult Dakota Fanning share scenes with Washington again, a callback to the similarly-themed Man on Fire, her character has little impact or agency within the overall narrative.

Richard Wenk’s screenplay plays remarkably thin. The setup offers a sense of introspection for the McCall character, with McCall seemingly at a crossroads in his life. Perhaps McCall is starting to see himself as a monster no different from those he kills. Unfortunately, these juicy character developments are jettisoned shortly after they are introduced. In addition, the villains are one-note and not particularly memorable. They are merely disposable meat bags for McCall to vanquish.

What The Equalizer does have going for it is some solid and entertaining action set-pieces. The violence is messy, brutal, and quick. Washington presents McCall as a sharp, finely honed blade. He does not mess around or allow his opponents any opportunity to strike back. Fuqua also stages multiple scenes where McCall more closely resembles a psycho killer in a slasher film rather than an avenging hero. The difference here is the psycho killer is hunting ruthless criminals who prey on the innocent rather than hapless teens.

Fuqua and Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson perform exceptional work in shooting Southern Italy, bringing out the old-world charm of the region with some romantic and lovely locales. The fictionalized coastal village of Altamonte becomes both a refuge and salvation for the Equalizer. It’s no wonder that even a grim loner like McCall finds harmony in such a place because it looks incredibly peaceful and gorgeous.

Putting aside the weak script and rather abrupt second half, The Equalizer 3 at least provides some brutal action and decent thrills for action aficionados. But if Sony Pictures has plans to continue the franchise, it doesn’t leave a sense of hunger for anything more.

6.5

The final score: review Average

The 411

Denzel Washington's charisma and Antoine Fuqua's understanding of how to best utilize and stage McCall throughout The Equalizer 3 provide a decent portion of entertainment. However, the script and movie fall short in the second half when everything abruptly comes to a halt, and where it feels like some necessary buildup and character turning points are missing. The Equalizer 3 is a fun little action endeavor and showcase for Washington, but it's not a glorious high note as a third entry in a long-running film franchise.