The Equalizer 3: Is it a satisfying farewell?
Since 2004, audiences have witnessed McCall’s journey from a haunted past to a vigilante present. Yet, after investing in his story for so many years, there’s an inevitable question: was the trilogy’s conclusion satisfying enough? Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Also Known for Training Day), The Equalizer 3 follows Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) as he finds solace in a home in Southern Italy. But he soon discovers his friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.
In the beautiful setting of Altomonte, Italy, where there are tales of romance, the movie introduces an out-and-out contrast by employing the trope of Italian mafias. Amidst the familiarity of said trope, the film doesn’t bring anything new to the table by not venturing far enough into the mafia world to offer a transformative story. However, a redeeming feature is its standalone narrative. Newcomers to the action series need not worry about catching up with the first two movies, as this installment is easy to follow without prior knowledge. But, bear in mind that there’s a specific full circle moment within the story that fans of the franchise will get a small kick out of.
Now, it’s widely understood that a mafia story is synonymous to violence, and the film makes it abundantly clear. When McCall discovers the gang members disturbing the peace of the small, tranquil town; he unleashes his particular set of deadly skills. As the violent sequences take place, they’re a remnant of the slasher genre scattered in the scene. Taking his victims one by one with super gory kills and grittiness that makes the viewers recoil. Nevertheless, there’s a fine line where the violence departs from the story and begins to feel somewhat gratuitous; highlighting the brutality at the expense of narrative development.
Despite being the concluding piece of the trilogy, The Equalize 3 didn’t quite deliver a grand farewell that one might expect. While the story is something we have already indulged before, Denzel Washington anchored the film with his wits and charm. A noteworthy highlight was seeing Washington share the screen with Dakota Fanning since their dynamic in Man on Fire, giving a small nod to cinephiles out there. At the end of the day, it’s a film that manages to entertain, even if it didn’t quite reach the expected big conclusion.
Writer’s Note: This review was written and published during the strikes of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Without their work, the film being covered would not exist.
