The Equalizer 3 Review: Denzel Washington Shines In Beautifully Horrific Send-Off

Going into the newest entry of The Equalizer franchise, you probably expected Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall to be a weathered guardian of justice who comes out of retirement for one final fight. Instead, director Antoine Fuqua and Washington deliver a thrilling experience in The Equalizer 3 that doesn’t come close to outstaying its welcome. The film sees Washington return as McCall in the final film of the trilogy. He is a former U.S. Marine and officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Presumed dead, he uses his skills for good, righting moral wrongs when he stumbles upon them.

The third entry in The Equalizer trilogy sends McCall to Italy, where he is forced to lay low in a small coastal town. Robert finds peace amongst the locals, and once he sees that the local Mafia is harassing them, he steps in. Dakota Fanning reunites with Washington after the two starred together in Man of Fire, as she plays a CIA agent that he tips off. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the previous two movies, as apart from a couple of points, The Equalizer 3 is a fine standalone film.

The Equalizer 3 Doesn’t Hold Back

The Equalizer 3, like the two movies before it, is unmistakably an action movie. Yet, at times, it feels more like a horror film. Robert McCall gets up close and personal in multiple fight scenes, with horrific consequences for his enemies. The film is also structured like a horror movie, where the entity (or, in The Equalizer 3’s case, McCall) starts the film with an iconic scare before settling down and returning a few more times toward the end.

Speaking of the opening scene, The Equalizer 3’s opening is a brutal display of what McCall is capable of. At first, it doesn’t show you McCall in action. Instead, we see the aftermath of his bloodbath through the eyes of a Mafioso coming onto the scene. Robert immediately gets into action before fleeing. Seeing how brutal his kills were – with some bloody, cut-up dead bodies – sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The opening scene tells us that for the third movie, Washington and Fuqua didn’t mess around.

But, because it is one of, if not the best scenes of the movie, the opening immediately weighs down the film as the next action set piece doesn’t occur until long after the first scene. For most of the first half, there aren’t any action scenes other than some of the Mafia roughing up the local townsfolk. The Equalizer 2 was released five years ago, but it’s clear from the beginning of the film that Robert McCall hasn’t been wasting any time. Washington is 68 years old and should seem slower, but not once did I think he couldn’t immediately kill anybody close to him. 

An Old Story

Like the second film, the Equalizer 3 isn’t bogged down with uninteresting side stories. Nearly everything in this film fits into Robert McCall’s story, from the people he befriends in Italy to the involvement of the U.S. government. This is a story of a man who has done his best to right the wrongs that he has come across and looks to finally leave it behind him for a bit of peace. Eugenio Mastrandrea, Remo Girone, and Gaia Scodellaro play likable locals that McCall comes to care for, and so do we, the audience.

Nobody in the movie gives a performance that touches Washington’s portrayal of McCall. Every smile, every grunt, every joke and chuckle he throws someone’s way makes The Equalizer 3 what it is: the perfect vehicle for Denzel Washington. Unfortunately, this makes everybody else in the film an afterthought. Even the villain, Vincent Quaranta (Andrea Scarduzio), doesn’t hold a candle to McCall. He terrorizes the townsfolk and kills a few people, but his brutality is outmatched by the sheer force McCall brings down on him. The Equalizer 3 is almost like a modern Western in that respect.

There are definite parallels between McCall’s actions in The Equalizer 3 and the brutality of other vigilantes like Batman and Daredevil. Most of the action in the film takes place in the shadows, so we don’t get to spend much time with anyone but McCall. Everyone else is too busy being killed. That’s one of the reasons why nobody else gets a moment to shine because we’re too busy seeing things from McCall’s perspective, which is usually two steps ahead.

A Bittersweet Farewell For Denzel Washington

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t significant issues with the movie. Even though the film is brisk, it doesn’t have perfect pacing because The Equalizer 3 spends a bit too much time showing off the beautiful Italian landscape. Much of the film’s first half follows McCall just walking through the town, which could have been cut down. The secondary plot of the CIA investigating a terrorism ring detracts from the main plot, even though it ties into it. It’s hard to care about those secondary characters, especially when most of them don’t have much screen time. 

An unfortunate feeling washed over me when the credits began to roll. I realized I wanted more of these movies, more of Washington as McCall. But his story was wrapped up so neatly at the end of The Equalizer 3 that it makes sense for it to be his send-off. So, if you like action movies, Denzel Washington, or Italian getaways, go to the theater for this one. If not, go for the entertaining time. You can catch The Equalizer 3 in theaters from September 1, 2023.