When the first Equalizer film dropped in 2014, it was one of the better TV-to-film adaptations released that decade. Maybe it was the fact we got another Denzel Washington-Antoine Fuqua pairing. Perhaps it was the 80s baby in everyone who loved Robert McCall’s transition from a skilled investigator to a modern-day Charles Bronson. Either way, it was gold.
And then came The Equalizer 2. It wasn’t the worst movie in the world, but it was a serious letdown due mainly to scaling back from the action that made the first film work in favor of predictable twists and mishandled attempts to humanize the McCall character.
Now Washington and Fuqua are back for the third and final time with The Equalizer 3. Picking up in the aftermath of the previous entry, McCall (Washington) has retired to an Italian village that he later discovers is under mafia control and must defend to protect its people and his peace.
Does the third part of the Equalizer trilogy rebound from the sins of the second one and live up to the initial promise of the series? If there’s ever a movie that proves how far a little Denzel can go, it’s this one.
Washington carries The Equalizer 3 like he was decades of Temptations lead singers saving Otis from a 9 to 5 job. He keeps you engaged every moment of an action film without doing anything of note physically. Instead, Washington keeps you glued to the screen with the mature but appropriate charisma fitting for a character of advanced age and loss who still seeks some refuge. It won’t rank among his best roles, but it’ll certainly remind you just how special Washington is.
And bruh, is that special ever needed to get through The Equalizer 3. The culprit is pretty much everything behind the camera. For starters, the script is redundant of every “tortured soul action guy finds a quiet village and defends it” movie ever written. You can telegraph every scene based on that trope right down to the turning point and climax of the film.
Another problem is unnecessary filler through extra characters who don’t add even a subtle dent to the plot. There’s a CIA subplot introduced via franchise newcomer CIA Agent Emma Collins, played by Dakota Fanning. It’s great to see Fanning reunite with Washington after their work on 2004’s Man on Fire, and their scenes together are a good watch. However, Equalizer 3 is the same exact movie without her character and the subplot. It would have been to invest that time into developing the film’s other characters, like the undercooked villain or even the villagers.
So, what is the thing that keeps the filmmaking piece of Equalizer 3 a total disaster? The violence. Fuqua’s commitment to gore and creative kills is a sight for sore eyes. It still doesn’t reach the heights of the first film because of McCall’s character arc, but it’s enough to satisfy those looking for action.
Ultimately, The Equalizer 3 sends the series off with more pop than bang. Washington is still worth every penny when he’s on camera, and Fuqua’s action sequences still pack a wallop. Yet, the fatigue of having seen this movie a million times over and sitting through gratuitous padding of a script sets in.
The Equalizer 3 is far from what it could and should be, but if nothing else, you can see one of the greats do it again.