After first working together on the crime thriller Training Day, Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua have become frequent collaborators. However, the pair haven’t quite managed to replicate the success of their first film since, with The Equalizer films and The Magnificent Seven remake not quite showcasing just what they’re fully capable of. New threequel, The Equalizer 3, then, is their latest attempt to do just that.
Set in Sicily, Italy, the film follows Washington’s Robert McCall, as he seeks justice for yet another helpless stranger in need. However, after sustaining a life-threatening injury in the process, he’s forced to recuperate in a small coastal town before he can make his journey home. Despite this idyllic setting, his recovery is far from peaceful, as he quickly encounters the Sicilian mafia who are extorting money from the town’s residents by using extreme intimidation and violence. Becoming increasingly attached to the locals and their beautiful seaside town, it’s only so long before McCall takes matters into his own hands.
And much like the skilled protagonist at its forefront, it’s quickly made evident that The Equalizer 3 means serious business. Its opening sequence sets the tone in especially brutal fashion, creating an atmosphere of fear and dread that effectively reinforces McCall’s formidable reputation in a more original way.
Swiftly winning audiences over in this assured manner means that when The Equalizer 3 immediately slows down afterwards, it’s able to do so confidently, knowing that viewers are more likely to stick with it after this strong opening. And it certainly does adopt a more meandering pace as McCall nurses his injury, builds relationships with the locals and witnesses the mafia’s criminal behaviour.
This second act is admittedly scarce on action and does risk taking too long to move the film’s plot along. Yet, what it does achieve is the development of a truly abhorrent group of antagonists. They are a gang so utterly loathsome that audiences should have no issue waiting to see them receive their comeuppance as McCall gradually regains his strength. Further enhancing this slow burn are the flashes of aggressive action that are spread throughout the film, often exploding onto the screen without warning. These sudden bursts of brutality and violence are delivered with such force and conviction, grabbing your attention with an unshakeable grip.
Marcelo Zarvos’s score matches the intensity of these moments superbly. And paired together with Robert Richardson’s gloomy cinematography, which aptly captures the ominous presence of the setting, as well as Conrad Buff’s editorial flourishes, gives The Equalizer 3 a much more distinct sense of style than either of its predecessors. This elevation in quality is felt across most other aspects of the film too, comfortably making it the best Equalizer film yet.
McCall’s more personal attachment to the victims and location adds to the stakes too, giving him even more of a reason to fight back, and Washington is as reliable as ever in the role. He charms in the film’s more casual moments, before transforming into this relentless force of nature amidst the gruesome violence of its action.
Washington’s Man on Fire co-star, Dakota Fanning, also appears as a junior agent, hot on the heels of McCall’s trail. Sadly, she’s a little unconvincing in an otherwise solid cast. Both her character and dynamic with McCall feel underdeveloped, although her presence is largely inconsequential and doesn’t detract much from an otherwise robust action film.
Furthermore, with Fuqua providing so many absolutely savage, standout moments – including a blistering finale – it’s hard to linger on any of the film’s minor flaws. Delivering this kind of action, in a far more succinct runtime than before too, Fuqua’s finally given Washington the cinematic spectacle and panache that he and this character so deserve. Hopefully audiences will have stuck with the franchise long enough to see it.
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