Antoine Fuqua made the “Equalizer” trilogy. I watched the “Equalizer” trilogy. I guess the situation has been… equalized.
So sorry about that.
Denzel Washington returns as Robert McCall in “The Equalizer 3.” This time around, the semi-retired super agent finds himself wrapping up the takedown of a crime syndicate based in Sicily. While he’s successful in his bloody endeavor, he does get himself injured with a shot to the back. Eventually, as he’s leaving the area he falls unconscious.
Fortunately, he’s rescued by a passerby who takes McCall to a doctor in a small coastal village. The doctor cleans Robert’s wounds and helps him recover. During his time there, Robert finds peace in the charming town, but is troubled by the occasional presence of mafia members who harass local business owners.
Sometimes some simplicity is just what a film needs. After a middling second entry that was a bit over written in the story department, “Equalizer 3” goes back to basics. Like the first film, the protagonist is trying to live in peace, and it’s interrupted by a group of bad guys making trouble. As a result, McCall has to take action.
There’s an effective build-up, as McCall tries to relax in the caring community, while the efforts by the mafia to exploit the small town and expand their operations escalate. It eventually comes to a head, and when it does, a whole lot of entertaining R-rated action takes place that makes this worth one’s time.
Director Antoine Fuqua is really effective in creating films with serious, dark atmospheres that still work as fun action flicks with badass characters. His latest picture is no different.
“Equalizer 3” has grim moments and a drab tone at times. Yet Washington’s charm gives a feeling of hope to the situation and his character’s mission to protect the town makes for an exciting adventure a viewer can root for.
As usual, Washington is solid on screen. He’s really effective with this character, able to capture the cold, calculating and even procedural way McCall acts when in mission mode. At the same time, he’s also able to portray the warrior who has left the fighting behind and wants to live in peace. Washington has a natural likability in film and it helps make it believable that people would be trusting of McCall.
The cast is also strengthened by Dakota Fanning, who starred in “Man on Fire” with Washington nearly 20 years ago. Fanning plays a CIA agent who’s investigating mafia ties and has a few run ins with McCall. It provides an interesting perspective, that of a younger operative, to counter the more experienced one the audience sees through McCall. The two also work together well on screen.
This film does feel like somewhat of a finale to the trilogy, and with that in mind, I do wish the villain had been a bit better. The bad guys here were certainly menacing and vile. However, their presence doesn’t lead to the type of climactic finish one would have liked. Still, as previously mentioned, there is plenty of strong, bloody action featured.
“The Equalizer 3” is a fine action thriller for a matinee viewing. It’s not an epic romp or a particularly deep picture, but it gets the job done where it counts. Its main character is interesting to follow, easy to root for and is played by a great actor, plus the action and build-up keep a person invested. 3.5 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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