MOVIE REVIEW: EQUALIZER 3

 

Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall finds solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Now living in Southern Italy, he soon discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall becomes their protector by taking on the mafia.

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, David Denman, Sonia Ammar, Remo Girone

Release Date: September 1, 2023

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence and some language.

Runtime: 1h 49m

The third and possibly final installment of the Equalizer franchise is a leaner, more focused entry which makes it the most effective of the three.  Antoine Fuqua's film is still as violent as ever, but he gives his main character a bit more time to breathe outside of his avenging angel persona.  There's a bit more nuance at play throughout which helps flesh out the character especially if you've followed his journey from the start.  Fuqua still delivers plenty of hero shots for his leading man with those visuals boarding between triumphant and menacing.  The action sequences are just as visceral and bloody as the past entries, but they are far less frequent than the first two entries leaning more on Washington's acting chops.  Denzel Washington has always been this series secret weapon as he pulls so much more out of the character than what's written on the page.  In this entry, he is given more room to explore moments of happiness and contentment before external forces bring him back to unleash his talents on a slew of faceless villains.  Washington does give the character a slightly different feel here, older more weathered and almost brutish in certain moments.  It makes those moments where his character unleashes his brand of justice interesting in that it could easily be flipped into a horror movie with little effort. Sadly, the supporting character are paper thin across the board, something that's been an issue with the three films.  Adding former Man on Fire costar, Dakota Fanning, should work better than it ultimately does with her character feeling more perfunctory than necessary.  Still the series as a whole is a testament to Washington's impressive talent and ability to make these films far more watchable than they would be in lesser hands.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: JOY RIDE

 

When Audrey's business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the help of Lolo, her childhood best friend, Kat, a college friend, and Deadeye, Lolo's eccentric cousin. Their epic, no-holds-barred experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.

Director: Adele Lim

Cast: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu, Ronny Chieng, Meredith Hagner, David Denman, Annie Mumolo, Timothy Simons, Daniel Dae Kim

Release Date: July 7, 2023

Genre: Comedy

Rating: R, For strong and crude sexual content, language throughout, drug content and brief graphic nudity.

Runtime: 1h 32m

Joy Ride is a raunchy ride that isn't scared to push the envelope at any point during its brisk runtime.  Adele Lim's directorial debut has a sort of chaotic energy from the outset, something she has some difficulty maintaining as the film has some noticeable peaks and valleys during its runtime.  To her credit, Lim keeps the film moving at a steady pace so that when a joke or scene doesn't land it never lingers too long before we move on to the next bit of craziness.  The sequences that work hit that sort of amplified hilarity that these kind of films crave case in point a sequence in a hotel that rotates between all four characters.  There are other moments that are just as funny, but the film's marketing decided to use them in the trailer which lessens their impact.  If you haven't had any of those sequences spoiled there are plenty of laugh out loud moment that gives its ensemble cast plenty of time to shine.  Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu make up the main foursome with each set up as a particular character type.  Park does well as the straight-laced overachiever who's story is the driving force of the film.  Sherry Cola and Stephanie Hsu are clearly having a great time playing the more outlandish and bawdy characters while Sabrina Wu brings an understated sweetness to socially awkward character.  The four of them bounce off each with relative ease which gives them an organic, believable dynamic that works in the film's favor especially as it hits some surprisingly emotional beats in its final act.  It’s a testament to the cast and director that those moments work as well as they do since the film plays like Road Trip or Eurotrip from the early 2000's but it sneakily creates some tangible emotional connections with the characters.  

B

MOVIE REVIEW: BRIGHTBURN

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? With Brightburn, the visionary filmmaker of Guardians of the Galaxy and Slither presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.

Director: David Yarovesky

Cast: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner

Release Date: May 24, 2019

Rated R for horror violence/bloody images, and language.

Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min.

Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi

Review:

Brightburn feels like a “what if” issue of a comic book series.  David Yarevesky plays up the Superman motif at multiple points during his gory superhero/horror hybrid.  Jackson A. Dunn fills the creepy kid well with Elizabeth Banks and David Denman doing strong work as his adoptive parents.  The conceit is solid but even as the film moves into darker territory you get the feeling that they don’t quite get the most out of the idea.  The film isn’t really scary per say, just gory in parts, even though Yarovesky does set up some genuinely tense sequences.  Sadly, there’s not a ton of surprise in store and most everything plays out exactly like you think it would.  The finale does hint at the possibility of a sequel which could be interesting in its own right depending how they decide to play the story.  As an origin story, it’s solid if slightly uninspired.  

B