The Equalizer 3

The Equalizer 3

Robert McCall finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he discovers his friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends' protector by taking on the mafia.

  • Released: 2023-08-30
  • Runtime: 109 minutes
  • Genre: Action, Crime, Thrillers
  • Stars: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Gaia Scodellaro, David Denman, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Remo Girone, Sonia Ammar, Daniele Perrone, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero, Giovanni Scotti, Melissa Leo
  • Director: Antoine Fuqua
 Comments
  • groundzero-273-397110 - 26 June 2024
    A strong opening, then a slow ride to the end.
    The film starts strong, with a cool action scene. McCall is shot in the back by a kid after the fight and is then in recovery for at least half the movie. This time in recovery is used to build tension between McCall and the bad guys. But that part ends far too easily and too quickly when the action starts.

    The film is set in Italy, and McCall feels he has finally found the right place to settle. But first he has to take care of the mafia that is ravaging the city. He says several times throughout the film that he feels a connection to this town and the people there, but we never see him form any deeper relationships. For me, this is a mistake with the film. The pacing is quite slow, as McCall is in recovery for most of the film. This time could have been used more to show the development and depth of McCall's relationships.

    There is not much action in this movie. I think the first action scene was the best. The ending was an anticlimax. McCall clears out the mafia effortlessly, like old cupboard food. One or two of the kills are creative, but there is nothing special to most of the action.

    Dakota Fanning's character is wasted in my opinion. She doesn't contribute much. It's McCall who does all the work for her.

    The first movie is still the best. This film is slightly better than the second one. I hope they don't make more movies. This movie was a good ending for McCall and a good ending to this trilogy.
  • MattWillow - 14 May 2024
    Denzel's the man
    The third (and hopefully final) installment of this franchise was a surprisingly ok watch. The biggest accolade of course goes to Denzel Washington. One of my favorite actors, and while the hands of time are beginning to show, he is still a world class actor. Poise and presence in every shot. He almost single handedly makes this worth while. The story itself is pretty flat and predictable, but that is almost a given in these films. Nothing is really explained or motivated, rather glanced over in a hurry. The other actors are pretty much stereotypical cardboards, simply playing out their part without all the more passion. Some more flagrantly than others. Dakota Fanning was a letdown feeling stiff and detached from the whole thing. At first I thought, hey that's nice bringing her back until I realized that was from Man On Fire... The cinematography is splendid and redeems some of the flaws of the story. Rural Italy sure is nice to look at. Overall I was left with a more positive vibe from this than I thought. Hopefully Denzel will manage to continue his career, since he will be soerly missed when he stops.
  • simonfire1 - 3 May 2024
    Hope it ends here!
    I did enjoy the film very much, but it's clearly struggling to keep pace with the first two films.

    Good acting by the leads and the main supporting cast barely did enough to carry the film which, compared to the first two films, is poorly written. The "twists" couldn't have been any easier to spot if they'd been illuminated by a searchlight.

    On the plus side it was good to show that Robert McColl is vulnerable and has a blind spot when it comes to his reasoning.

    Denzel Washington has, for the vast majority of his career, steered well clear of sequels, this film is probably the main reason why.