Director Antione Fuqua and Denzel Washington reunite for what is advertised as the final installment of The Equalizer films. The Equalizer 3 has finally hit the screens, and Washington’s Robert McCall doesn’t skimp on the body count. Richard Wenk is the screenwriter. Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, and Remo Girone are also included in the cast. The film takes place in Italy, which is a good location choice to wrap this series up if it is indeed the end. The film series was actually based on a television series that was created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim.
Robert McCall is finishing up a mission where he has already killed a bundle of bad guys. When he gets wounded himself, he is taken in by an Italian doctor living in a small, charming coastal town. As he begins to recover, McCall gets to know his surroundings and the people there. Naturally, he develops an affection for them and is not too pleased to find them bothered by a mafia-type organization known as the Camorra. The CIA is also in town investigating an unusual drug smuggling operation. Once McCall starts to regain his strength, the Camorra are going to be on the receiving end of the bloodshed that is about to ensue.
I have said over the years that Denzel Washington had enough talent and charisma to make a bad movie at least watchable. Fortunately, this really isn’t a bad movie, but Washington still helps bump up the enjoyment. Fugua manages to avoid a few tropes of the action film genre once the climax of the story arrives. McCall comes across as dangerous and weary which Washington plays so well. Washington still comes across as believably lethal in spite of him being older. There are a few spots that seem to drag a little, but there are also some great scenes where the dialogue is written cleverly enough to help one through those moments. The first scene between Washington and Fanning turns out to be rather fascinating as they engage in a friendly battle of wits and one-upmanship.
The location was absolutely stunning, and it certainly did not hurt to actually cast Italian actors to play the locals McCall encounters. The villains were actually pretty believable in their nastiness. They did not really seem all that cartoonish, which is often a problem in this genre. It could be that the actors being Italian really assisted in the authenticity of the characters.
The action scenes were well done. Some of the choreography required some suspension of disbelief, but it wasn’t terribly outlandish. Washington can still be a convincing killer even if he is closing in on starting his seventh decade on this Earth.
The movie was pretty solidly entertaining, and this may be one of the few franchises where the later installments almost measure up to the first.
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