The Equalizer 3 Movie Review
The Equalizer 3 is rated R for strong bloody violence and language that may be profane to some consumers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Enhance Ticket Rating:
37/50 Tickets
- Director: Antoine Fuqua
- Stars: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Andrea Scarduzio
- Music By: Marcelo Zarvos
- Genre: Action, Thriller
- Runtime: 1h, 49m
- MPAA Rating: R
The Equalizer 3 takes place in Southern Italy where Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), after completing his latest mission, suffers a gunshot wound to the back. After he escapes, he loses consciousness due to his injuries. He is rescued by local carabinieri Gio Bonucci. McCall is brought to Bonucci’s home in Altomonte where his wounds are treated. As McCall settles into the new area, he discovers that the town is terrorized by members of the Camorra, the Italian mafia. Still recovering from his injuries, he, once again, takes matters into his own hands to free the citizens of Altamonte from the Camorra’s control.
The movie is based on a TV series by the same name. I have never watched the show myself. I am reviewing the movie on its own merit, not as an adaptation of the show. I enjoyed the first two movies quite a bit. I like the fact that McCall is an action hero who uses wit and tricks to defeat his enemies rather than just brute force.
How does this third installment measure up to the first two films?
Director Antoine Fuqua has stated that this will be the final movie in The Equalizer film series. With how the story plays out, we can see how this movie wraps up the story of Robert McCall. While McCall is just as capable of taking down bad guys, he seems a bit more vulnerable than in previous films. When he was shot in his last mission, he lost a lot of his strength. A lot of the third movie shows him spending time with locals of the area. He becomes pretty close with them. This final installment is mainly about McCall finally finding peace. As the final act in the trilogy, the movie does a great job of ending McCall’s story by giving him a place where he can be happy and rid the city of its villains.
The tone of the movie is dark with a little humor. This movie, also, has a few elements that almost make it feel like a horror film. In some scenes, McCall kills his enemies in the shadows, and in others he tortures them while justifying his retribution. Robert McCall feels like a more brutal, bloody version of Batman without a cape. He helps good people, punishes bad people and he sometimes uses his wits instead of his strength. Despite this, the movie still has a few moments of optimism, particularly with McCall’s interactions with the locals. The tone for this movie is perfect because it represents how ruthless McCall has become after the first two films.
Enjoying this article? When you finish, have a listen to Episode Fourteen of Season Two of Enhance Podcast! Listen to Samm and his friend Mennell dive into screenwriting pertaining to horror and unsettling elements.
Denzel Washington is a joy to watch in this movie. He always carries so much charisma with the way he speaks, whether with a friend or a foe. Washington is able to go from warm, sweet, and charming in one scene, to cold, calculated, and even downright scary in the next. He is particularly menacing in this film with the way he torments his enemies. There is not a single moment in this movie, or in the first two films, where Washington is not giving a great performance.
The supporting cast’s performances were solid but not as strong. Dakota Fanning, as a CIA agent, shares a lot of chemistry with Washington. They exchange banter which comes off as a friendly rivalry, but they share the same goals. The villains are typical for this kind of movie, but they work for the story. They are the kind of villains who take joy in terrorizing the locals, which gives McCall a reason to confront them in spite of his injury. Andrea Scarduzio, in particular, has a great performance as the main villain, especially in the climax.
Visually, the movie is stunning. There are so many stunning shots, that it might be hard to not get distracted. The movie opens with a tracking shot of a criminal walking through his home, seeing all of his henchmen brutally killed by McCall. Not only is it skillful and memorizing, but it sets up the tone of the film. It is the perfect opening for this movie. The action scenes are well-shot and fun to watch, but they are gorier than the last two films. That could be troubling for viewers who are squeamish. The musical score by Marcelo Zarvos is great. It is haunting to listen to, which makes it memorable and fitting for the dreary final chapter of The Equalizer trilogy.
The Equalizer 3 is a solid finish to an unexpected trilogy. It is not quite as good as the first movie, but it is better than the second one. It wraps up the series without retreading plot points from the first two films. Denzel Washington’s performance as Robert McCall alone makes this movie worth a watch. If you were a fan of the first two Equalizer films, you will definitely get a kick out of this one.
Works Cited
Humphery, J. (2023, September 4). Why ‘The Equalizer 3’ Is the End of the Series, According to Antoine Fuqua. Collider. Retrieved from: https://collider.com/equalizer-3-last-movie-antoine-fuqua-comments/
This article was written by Enhance’s friend Jared Jacoby and edited by team members SIdney Floyd-Armstrong and Samm Brown. Be sure to subscribe and keep an eye on the blog for more from our team and for more movie and video game reviews from Jared!
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