The Equalizer 3 (15)

Dir: Antoine Fuqua

Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, David Denman, Sonia Ammar, Remo Girone

Denzel Washington goes out with a bang in this third and final instalment of the ultra violent action series from director Antoine Fuqua

There could be a strong case put forward to argue that Denzel Washington is the greatest actor of his generation. The 68-year old has been beloved by critics and audiences for forty years, and he shows no signs of slowing down. One of the key factors in Denzel’s success as an actor, is his incredible versatility. He rose to prominence with a series of high profile character studies throughout the 80’s and 90’s including: Cry Freedom (1987), Malcolm X (1992), Philadelphia (1993), and The Hurricane (1999).

As well as his character works that carried on into the 2000’s, Denzel started his foray into gritty action movies, with his frequent collaborations with the late, great Tony Scott. With the releases of films such as Man on Fire (2004) and Deja Vu (2006), audiences began to see a new side to Denzel on screen, as his naturally charming persona became spliced with a more gritty hard-boiled one. It was this side of Denzel that ultimately saw him reunite with director Antoine Fuqua on The Equalizer in 2014, a loose remake of the 1980’s spy thriller series that starred Edward Woodward.

The Equalizer was a huge success at the box office and whilst it was only moderately received by critics, it was a big hit with audiences. This saw a sequel greenlit in 2018, and now another five years later, Denzel is back for the third and final time as vigilante Robert McCall, with Fuqua returning in the directors seat.

Set some time after the events of the previous film, ‘The Equalizer 3‘ opens up with a mobster returning to his base of operations in Sicily, only to discover that almost all of his men have been brutally murdered. He is soon confronted by the one man responsible for the massacre, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington). The encounter leaves our vigilante protagonist gravely wounded, causing him to pass out whilst fleeing the scene. Robert is rescued and healed by Enzo (Remo Girone), an ageing doctor from a small town on the Amalfi coast.

Whilst recuperating at Enzo’s home, Robert begins to settle in to his new surroundings. It is not long before he is popular amongst the locals, who treat him as one of their own. Not all good things can last however, as Robert’s new haven is disrupted, as he witnesses several of the locals being harassed and terrorised by the Italian Gomorrah. Despite Robert’s warnings, the mafia continue to threaten the locals, forcing an injured and mentally conflicted Robert to take matters into his own hands.

Anyone who has seen either of the first two Equalizer films, will know exactly what they are getting here. From the opening minutes as we see countless butchered bodies strewn around a Sicilian vineyard, we know Fuqua is completely aware as to what audiences want from these films. Much like the previous two films, the story of ‘The Equalizer 3‘ is very formulaic and predictable, with no real character development outside the central character himself. This could not be more evident than the newly introduced character Collins, played by Dakota Fanning. Fanning is completely fine in the role and it is great to see here working side by side with Denzel again almost twenty years on from Man on Fire. However, her character is not fleshed out whatsoever as we follow Collins and the CIA investigate a potential link between the Italian Mafia and Syrian terrorists. It is a subplot that seems to lead to nowhere, and only seems to provide respite from the more violent and action heavy scenes.

Any time Denzel is not on screen only serves as a constant reminder as to the films strength, which is to see Denzel mercilessly kill an abundance of thinly-written bad guys in the most brutal ways possible. For the most part, this is what the film delivers and does it very well, with both Fuqua and Washington getting the best out of each other. Denzel is as loveable as ever as he wanders the narrow cobbled streets of the Italian coast, and it is no surprise that an entire town of people are so eager to adopt him as one their own so quickly. Denzel will always be one of the most charismatic personalities in Hollywood, so this did not come as a shock to me, but I was surprisingly impressed by the physical side to his role. Despite his age, I found the action scenes and fight sequences extremely believable. Through some clever choreography and cinematography by Robert Richardson, we witness the lead character methodically dispatch an endless amount of mafia members with ease, making him more comparable to Jean Reno‘s Leon than Keanu Reeves‘ John Wick.

Whilst it may be formulaic and deprived of any real character progression, ‘The Equalizer 3‘ delivers the action and violence which has become expected of the franchise. It is also refreshing to see one of the all time Hollywood greats still performing at the top of their game.

The Equalizer 3 is now showing in Cinemas