The Equalizer 3 Review

In The Equalizer 3, Denzel Washington reprises his role as Robert McCall, the quiet but lethal force of justice, for what may be his final outing. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film trades the bustling streets of Boston for the sun-drenched beauty of an Italian seaside village — a strikingly peaceful setting that becomes the backdrop for one of McCall’s most violent missions. While the movie succeeds in delivering the visceral thrills fans expect, its uneven tone and muddled character development leave its mark as a mixed bag.

From its opening sequence, The Equalizer 3 does not shy away from graphic brutality. McCall’s calculated rampage through a mafia compound is grotesque and efficient, leaving a trail of mutilated bodies before he retrieves a seemingly inconsequential item. It’s a visceral start that sets the tone for a film more concerned with bloodshed than subtlety. However, the savagery raises an unsettling question: why are we rooting for McCall, a character whose methods verge on sadistic?

As the plot unfolds, McCall finds himself critically wounded and taken in by the kind-hearted residents of Altomonte, a picturesque Italian village. Here, the film attempts to humanize McCall, exploring his connection with the locals and his internal struggle with the violence that defines him. The idyllic setting contrasts sharply with the grim underworld of the mafia, which threatens to destroy the town. Yet, the film’s efforts to add depth to McCall falter. His brief bout of suicidal despair feels like a narrative detour rather than a meaningful exploration of his psyche, leaving viewers unconvinced by his subsequent transformation into a vengeful protector.

Washington’s performance remains the film’s greatest asset. Even when the script falters, his charisma and gravitas anchor the story. His chemistry with Dakota Fanning, who plays CIA agent Emma Collins, offers fleeting moments of warmth and nostalgia, recalling their earlier collaboration in Man on Fire. However, Collins’ subplot — a hunt for a drug ring subsidized by the mafia — feels underdeveloped and largely disconnected from the central narrative. Fanning’s character lacks the agency to make her arc compelling, reducing her role to little more than a plot device.

The villains, a pair of one-dimensional mafia brothers, fail to leave a lasting impression. Their motivations are shallow, and their menace pales in comparison to the moral ambiguity of McCall’s actions. While the film spends significant time establishing the villagers’ plight, the antagonists’ plans are sketched so thinly that their inevitable downfall feels more perfunctory than cathartic.

Fuqua’s direction, paired with Robert Richardson’s cinematography, lends the film a certain aesthetic appeal. The chiaroscuro lighting and low-angle shots evoke classic Westerns, casting McCall as a lone gunslinger in a foreign land. But these stylistic flourishes can’t compensate for the lack of inventiveness in the action sequences. The choreography is brutal but uninspired, relying on gore to distract from the absence of creativity or tension.

The Equalizer 3 ultimately struggles to reconcile its two identities: a contemplative character study and a hyper-violent action thriller. While the film delivers the carnage fans expect, it falls short of crafting a cohesive narrative or offering meaningful closure to McCall’s journey. For those invested in the franchise, it’s a serviceable finale. But for those seeking something more than mindless bloodshed, it’s a reminder of the subtler, smarter storytelling the original Equalizer TV series once offered.

This conclusion to Washington’s first trilogy is a spectacle of violence, but it leaves behind the moral complexity that once defined its protagonist. Whether this is truly McCall’s swan song or a stepping stone to future instalments, one thing is clear: the Equalizer’s legacy is as messy as the body count he leaves in his wake.