Equalizer 3

 

Robert McCall is enjoying a quiet, secluded retirement as a U.S. government assassin-turned-vigilante in a little town in Italy. Unfortunately that retirement is soon disrupted as he gets wind of a plot involving the local Italian mafia and drug money that is putting his newfound friends and community in danger. McCall attempts to control the situation on his own, but must soon call upon his former compatriots at the FBI to assist him in his efforts.

The Equalizer franchise has been a very good action series despite being somewhat on the predictable side of things involving the plot(s) and characters throughout. I'd say the first Equalizer is still the best, yet Equalizer 3 is ever so slightly better than Equalizer 2. In his second outing as Robert McCall, I mentioned that while Denzel Washington was still excellent as McCall, I couldn't help thinking that he seemed a bit bored throughout the movie. I also mentioned that the story veered into some pretty predictable elements which I thought could have been crafted better to enhance the overall experience. With this latest installment, I don't know what the difference was, whether it was the story itself, or the overall experience of making the film, or something else, but Washington's performance was much better and the overall film is much better than the previous one. I've still to this day have never seen a performance or film of his that I just didn't enjoy overall, and that continues with this latest installment. 

That said, the Equalizer trilogy still seems to struggle with developing its supporting characters. It's a little disheartening when you realize that one of the characters with the development issue is an FBI agent played by Dakota Fanning, Denzel Washington's former co-star in Man on Fire. This is their first on-screen interaction since Man on Fire. It was great seeing them together again, but as I mentioned, I wish Dakota's character was given more to do within the confines of the story. As it stands, her character didn't seem to have much of an impact on the story's conclusion. There was a distinct lack of a good subplot point as well such as the old man in Equalizer 2 who is searching for an old, lost family heirloom. The audience kind of gets it in the form of an Italian shopkeeper who is being accosted by the local crime lord for protection money, but there was still something missing there where it wasn't as impactful for me personally like the subplot of the old man trying to find his heirloom in part 2. 

If you're a fan of the first two Equalizer films, or just in general a fan of Denzel Washington like I am, Equalizer 3 is still a very good thrill ride with some excellent action scenes, and a great performance by Denzel. Not to mention it was still fantastic to see Denzel and Dakota Fanning back together again on screen after so many years. I personally just wish the surrounding story and supporting characters were just a bit more polished. Especially if this is the final outing for the character of Robert McCall.