Title - The Equalizer 3 (2023)
Director - Antoine Fuqua (King Arthur)
Cast - Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, David Denman
Plot - One man army Robert McCall (Washington) is back, this time taking on the wrath of the Italian Mafia in a small town where he has taken up residence.
"Nine seconds. That's what I'll give you to decide your fate"
Review by Eddie on 01/09/2023
Does the third entry in the Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington Equalizer series do anything you wouldn't expect or give you anything you wouldn't wish to receive? Absolutely not, but that's entirely the point in a surprisingly solid third outing for Washington's Robert McCall as he finds himself on a not so relaxing holiday to Italy.
A much more entertaining and well-rounded outing than the trite second chapter that seemed to suggest McCall should stay retired for good, Equalizer 3 is the biggest step yet into exploitation territory, marked by a grisly opening act and a procession of gory yet also cartoonish violence that sees both Fuqua and Washington revel in the excesses of their over the top story that hides nothing about its true identity and wears it like a brand new hat from a clothing store.
There's no doubt a film of this ilk is below someone as talented as Washington but it's also a guilty pleasure joy to see such a talented performer embrace such a simplistic yet uncomplicated outing that does what it says it will on the box and does it well and while Washington may here be teaming up with his Man on Fire partner Dakota Fanning as upstart government agent Emma Collins, this is very much the Washington show and a show he commands with a simply facial expression or a gun through the eye.
Moving the McCall action from the United States to Italy is also a strong move for Fuqua's film with the seaside set locale in Southern Italy allowing for a lot of solid moments of eye candy around the cheese-riddled dialogue, the questionable friendship/romance arcs and side plots about kindly fisherman and while there may be less action than some might expect from a film brandished with the Equalizer name, when McCall gets going he makes it worth your time, gleefully dispatching Bond like baddies as if his a blood relative of John Wick, ensuring fans will be satiated with the carnage they are given.
Unlikely to win any new fans, this old school action/thriller that feels like a product of a bygone era is a competent and effective genre offering that is unashamed of what it is and at all times aware of what it isn't, giving us an entertaining "final" chapter to the exploits of one of Washington's most over the top yet memorable characters.
Final Say -
A refreshingly old school action flick that's journey into exploitation cinema may surprise fans of the first two outings, The Equalizer 3 doesn't have a lot of depth or meat on its bones but thanks to a commanding Washington, a great location and some intense action, The Equalizer 3 is sure to appease.
3 1/2 ice buckets out of 5
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