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The Equalizer is a fairly unique action series because of how Robert McCall is characterized over the course of the movies. He’s a finely tuned weapon designed for killing, making the action sequences of these action movies more about watching McCall dismantle his opponent easily. This series is not John Wick where there is the pretense that John will take damage or possibly die, McCall will always take down the bad guy but the conflict for him is about the decision to use his abilities. The Equalizer handles this conflict the best of the three movies in the trilogy, however there is a global espionage subplot that drags down the narrative and emotional moments.
The Equalizer 3 follows the continued adventures of Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) as he travels to Italy on a mission. He is shot in the line of duty and ends up isolated in Altamonte, an idyllic town under the thumb of an organized crime family, where he is quickly accepted into the community. When the organized crime family starts to expand its influence, Robert McCall is called to help protect the people who have taken him in. David Denman and Dakota Fanning also star.
The issue with The Equalizer 3 is the same issue that existed in the previous movies where the character journey for Robert McCall is somewhat backed up by the narrative of the film, however there are aspects of the plot in play that undercut the emotional impact of this journey. In previous entries, the scope of the films ultimately harms the overall story because the key character aspects that engage the audience are placed on the back burner for long periods of time in favor of global crime plots. Here, this same thing happens but unlike previous entries, it never really dovetails into the plot of this movie and is just a lengthy journey to an easter egg. The drug trade aspect of the movie and the CIA’s involvement in the investigation is not needed for the narrative to work and, had that been eliminated entirely, the film would have been better off for it.
At the same time, the film is frustrating because the journey for Robert over the course of the under two-hour runtime is genuinely engaging. Watching him become accepted by the town is heartwarming and there are moments that go along with this character arc that land well enough. The issue is because so much time is spent with Dakota Fanning and David Denman (and to be clear, nothing against them, they fill their roles in this movie very well for what they are doing as actors) that these moments do not land with the emotional gravitas that they could have.
That said, The Equalizer 3 occupies a strange space where there is a version of this script where the movie is one of the top films of 2023 in terms of quality, however that was not the version of the movie that was released in theaters this weekend. It is worth a watch because it sends off Robert McCall in a way that feels right for the character and there is definitely a scenario where ten or twenty years down the line this trilogy is considered a classic. People who watched the previous entries will enjoy this more than people who come in blind (considering it is the third movie in a trilogy this should be a given) however even those who haven’t seen any of these films before will still find enjoyment in this experience.
Final Rating: 8/10
