The Equalizer 3 Review

Denzel Washington, Antoine Fuqua, and Richard Wenk return for a third and final film in The Equalizer series. This film sees Robert McCall take on the Mafia in Southern Italy.

After a mission in Sicily Robert McCall is shot and falls unconscious when driving through Southern Italy. Robert is taken in by Enzo (Remo Girone), the doctor of Altamonte, a small coastal town. As Robert recuperates, he becomes attached to the town and its residents. But he is called into action once again when he sees the town being exploited by the Mafia.

The Equalizer series are old-fashioned action films. They are unashamedly violent vigilante stories where a man uses his special set of skills to right wrongs. The Equalizer films stood out because they were grittier and more grounded compared to the CGI-heavy and sanitised PG-13 films dominating the current blockbuster landscape. The Equalizer series even stands out to works of 87North, the production company behind films like Nobody and Bullet Train, which were gleefully violent, but more outlandish.

The Equalizer films are labelled ‘dad films,’ because they were aimed to appeal to an older male audience. The action was shot in a workmanlike manner and there was a frankness when Robert was forced into a fight. There was a brutality when seeing people getting their arms broken or end up on the receiving end of a pointy object. Robert was a contradictory character since he aims to do right wrongs, and wants a peaceful life, but has a sadistic tendency when he was beating up bad guys.

Although The Equalizer 3 is the third film in the series, it was a standalone film. Robert was the only returning character and the setting moved from Boston to Italy. There was no long-running storyline like in other film series. There were some recurring themes and references to the previous films, but a newcomer could watch this film without any knowledge of prior ones.

The Equalizer 3 was an action film retelling of Shane. Shane was a classic Western where an ex-gunslinger attempts to settle down with a small community but is forced to protect them from an exploitative landowner. It’s a strong narrative used to influence other films, from Unforgiven to Logan. There was also a smattering of Seven Samurai since both films were about towns being terrorised by crime syndicates, resulting in outsiders coming to the towns’ defence.

The Equalizer 3 ended up being a slower, thoughtful film than expected. A lot of time was spent on Robert getting to know the residents of Altamonte and seeing the life he could have had. It was similar to The Wolverine when Logan and Mariko hid in Nagasaki, which gave them a period of peace after a life of violence. The Equalizer 3 aimed to be more character-driven, which the action landscape needed. However, audiences expecting a more action-ordinated film may be left disappointed.

The Equalizer 3 did have a fractious story. The filmmakers didn’t seem to have faith in the Shane-style story and needed to spice it up with a smuggling story. In the film, the Mafia was smuggling amphetamines into the EU and a young CIA agent, Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning) was tipped off by Robert, which triggered an investigation. This storyline was separate from Robert’s actions and filmmakers had to force Robert’s time in Altamonte with this crime-thriller subplot. This attempt to merge the two storylines made The Equalizer 3 contrived.

Fans of the previous Equalizer films will be pleased with this conclusion to the trilogy. There was a good basis for a story and character development, and there was plenty of grit for mature audiences.