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
