The Equalizer 3 moves Denzel Washington to Italy, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Brutally violent in short bursts, the movie delivers at the quality expected from this second-tier franchise.
Denzel plays Robert McCall, who flashes his deadly overbite before inflicting maximum damage on anyone who gets in his way–in this case, Sicilian gangsters who should know better by now. Also notable is that the movie co-stars Dakota Fanning, reuniting the two stars for the first time (?) since the excellent Man on Fire.
Never mind that Fanning isn’t given a ton to do.
There’s not much to say about The Equalizer 3. In fact, I’d question why you are even reading this review. Are you even reading these words right now? If you’ve been a fan of the last two movies–I gave the first Equalizer a “B” and the second a harmless “C+”–then you’re undoubtedly going to watch this one. And if you aren’t, then there is nothing this review or the franchise itself will do to change your mind.
The Equalizer 3 is more of the same, albeit with more subtitles as at least half of the movie is in Italian. Antoine Fuqua once again directs and does what Antoine Fuqua does: deliver a moderately decent piece of entertainment that never quite reaches the next level.
The movie has a few slower stretches than you’d expect, but overall there’s enough action and violence and Denzel acting like a badass to satisfy. The bad guys are true bad guys–it’s nice, in an age where movies like to paint in grays, to have bad guys with no redeeming qualities other than to be fodder for Denzel’s ruthlessness.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.