Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he 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 2014, director Antoine Fuqua, along with Hollywood A-lister Denzel Washington, set out to reignite the action genre. They took it and long-time genre fans on one hell of a ride as they resurrected the character of super assassin Robert McCall and gave him a new purpose as a protector of the vulnerable and the victimized. The Equalizer was an action film driven by character, and its approach to the style of the genre made audiences sit up as Washington’s McCall eviscerated the Russian Mob. In 2018, Washington returned as McCall for a far more personal and violent vendetta that cemented his character as an avenger. Now, in 2023, Washington’s McCall returns for a third and final time in the series most intense and passionate entry yet. And make no mistake when I say that The Equalizer 3 is one of the coolest films of the year.

Whereas in previous chapters of the franchise, Robert McCall was a reactionary force for justice, in The Equalizer 3, we find him proactively fighting for justice. And this leads him to his most violent and dangerous test yet. Director Antoine Fuqua moves the action away from McCall’s native Massachusetts and places him in Southern Italy, and he’s firmly on the hunt. One action leads to another, and soon McCall lands in a tranquil fishing town on the edge of the Amalfi Coast. While its people welcome him and he finds himself on the verge of peace for the first time, a dark shadow has cast itself over McCall’s paradise, and soon, this angel of death must reach for his blade to deliver his form of vigilante justice.

For Antoine Fuqua, The Equalizer 3 allows the filmmaker to bring a proper conclusion to this epic action story while expanding his directing style. Fuqua lets McCall’s character drive the pace of the narrative, and he brings a grand and epic sense of style to the visuals that arrive on screen. Fuqua does not rush the narrative, instead letting it play out at its own pace, with McCall’s actions revealing themself step by step. The result is a film that is equal parts emotional drama and visceral action, fully holding the audience’s attention.

Two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington returns for his final performance as vigilante hero Robert McCall, a former government assassin turned avenger, and he faces a battle for his very soul in this final chapter. Washington’s McCall is a hunter of this story, pursuing a dangerous conspiracy that takes a dramatic turn. For the first time, audiences see McCall in a vulnerable position, and this juxtaposition leads to considerable growth for McCall’s character. He has to contend with the philosophical question of whether he’s a good man who does bad things or a bad man who does good things. And Washington’s sense of pathos and internal contemplation play into McCall’s character development.

But after McCall finally finds peace, a sinister force threatens his loved ones, and he must unleash the monster trapped inside of him one last time. The Equalizer 3 sees Washington transformed into a literal angel of death as McCall, clad all in black and striking from the shadows with brutal effect. Again, Washington and Fuqua play into the closed-fisted, mano-o-mano combat that audiences have come to see as an integral part of the franchise. But this action also serves as a narrative tool and is operatic in its display. In the guise of an almost saintly executioner, Washington unleashes the fury one last time, and it’s a character-defining battle for Robert McCall.

The Equalizer 3 also marks a reunion between Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning. In 2004, this pairing impressed audiences with their committed and poignant work in the seminal action thriller Man on Fire. Nineteen later, these two performers share the screen again, and it’s enjoyable to watch. Fanning steps into the role of Emma Collins, a young CIA operative who comes into McCall’s world and soon becomes a quasi-alley to the veteran vigilante. With a fearless mix of tenacity and curiosity, Fanning’s Collins holds court with Washington’s McCall, and the chemistry they previously shared together is still as sharp as ever.

Washington’s McCall has tangled with some pretty nasty villains in his time, and now he faces the sinister presence of the Camorra, the mafia elite of Naples. And it’s a blood-for-blood fight. McCall’s chief adversary in The Equalizer 3 is the smart, savvy and sinister Vincent Quaranta, played in a dashing yet dangerous performance by Andrea Scarduzio. Scarduzio strikes a volatile yet polished presence as Quranta, making McCall the object of a personal vendetta. For all his stance as a ‘legitimate businessman’, Scarduzio’s Quaranta is a man prone to sadistic acts, and the danger is real with this brutal antagonist. Quaranta and the Camorra’s presence give McCall a worthy adversary to combat in The Equalizer 3. And things get bloody quickly.

Two key contributing factors to the energy and dynamism of The Equalizer 3 are the presence of cinematographer Robert Richardson and composer Marcelo Zarvos. As a three-time Academy Award winner, Richardson is one of the best in the business, and his incredible eye elevates the pictures’ striking visual presence. Richardson captures the tranquil beauty and peace of the Amalfi coast and balances this against the grim-dark danger of Naples’s shady and seedy underbelly. Richardon’s vision for the film reflects a deep film noir style, with elements of Caravaggio’s Chiaroscuro baked in for good measure, and this haunting visual style marks out The Equalizer 3 as something unique amongst the action genre. Adding an aggressive intensity to The Equalizer 3 is Marcelo Zarvos’ masculine score, and its high-energy, thumping beat will get your adrenaline going.

Audiences seeking their action fix will get it with The Equalizer 3. And this is an action film that goes straight for the jugular. Director Antoine Fuqua revs up the narrative’s intensity and violence in all its visceral flair. The violence and action of this picture serve a unique narrative function, and there’s nothing flashy or fancy about the film’s brutal combat. Washington carves his way through the worst of the worst in The Equalizer 3, making for a gnarly watch.

Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua conclude Robert McCall’s journey with The Equalizer 3. In my opinion, this is the best film of the franchise and is a fitting ending for one of the last decades’ most defining screen heroes. It’s character-driven, morally complex, kick-ass action cinema, and you’ll feel the rush.

Image: Sony Pictures

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Watch the action-packed new trailer for The Equalizer 3 below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new 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.

Washington reteams with filmmaker and long-time collaborator Antoine Fuqua for the final chapter of McCall’s story in The Equalizer 3. Following in the wake of The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2, they’re ready to take things up a notch as McCall goes head tp head with a brutal Mafia clan. And he ain’t mucking around. This new trailer captures the intensity and pulse-pounding action of the new film perfectly and audiences will be in for a rush with The Equalizer 3.

Along with putting Washington back in action as McCall, Fuqua also makes this a collaboration between Washington and Dakota Fanning, who made a hell of a pair of co-stars with 2004’s Man on Fire, and it’s very cool to see them back on screen together. While we’re not privy to the state of their relationship this time around, it’s incredibly exciting to see them both on screen together, and their undeniable chemistry is still there.

The Equalizer 3 is shaping up to be one hell of an action epic, and this final chapter is ready to bring the ferocity of action when it arrives in cinemas on August 31.

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The film stars Washington as Robert McCall, a former black ops commando who faked his death to live a quiet life in Boston. When he comes out of his self-imposed retirement to rescue a young girl called Teri, he finds himself face-to-face with ultra-violent Russian gangsters. As he serves justice out those who brutalise the helpless, McCalls’s desire for justice is reawakened. If some had a problem, the odds stacked against them, and they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

Director Antoine Fuqua has crafted a terrific action-thriller which starts off as a slow boil before exploding into full on war. Working from the standpoint of story and character first, Fuqua takes the time to develop his lead character Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), and the world he inhabits. The Equalizer never wastes a beat though. with every frame powering the story forward. Style is also placed next to pacing, and The Equalizer has the feel of the sort of action thriller that harkens back to the film works of the 1970s such as ‘Bullet’, ‘The French Connection’ and ‘Get Carter’. Fuqua builds an intimacy for his audience with McCall’s larger than life heroics, and they’ll find themselves cheering for him when he takes down the bad guys.

As always, Denzel Washington completely commands the screen as the former super spy assassin. A modern day ronin, McCall has left behind his world of violence and death for peace and obscurity, valuing nothing except the right to be left alone, dedicating his life to an almost monastic ritual of simplicity and rhythm. Washington easily portrays McCall’s dual identity as forgettable everyman, and modern day samurai, as well as having a handle on the sadness that permeates his character. Washington’s patience also informs the character of McCall, especially when it comes to the horrible things he’s forced to witness, and his inability at first not to act. This eats away at him, and when the violence does come he delivers it back ten-fold with absolute assertiveness and brutality. In control of the situation at all times, McCall will give you the opportunity to do good, but if you choose otherwise, well…prepare for very quick and violent consequences.

Chloe Grace Moretz’s Teri is the innocent who calls out to McCall’s hero for help. A victim of human traffickers and who was forced into prostitution, Teri is the young ingénue who desperately wants a chance at a different life. Filled with teenage angst, she is slightly standoffish at first to McCall, but is curious about this mysterious loner whom she meets at the late night diner that they both frequent. She slowly gets to know him, and forms a friendship with a man who is non-judgmental, and encourages her to change her life for the better. Moretz gives another fantastic performance, and holds her own during the scenes she shares with Washington, which gradually grow more heartfelt as she learns of the reasons behind his sadness. The brutality that is leveled against her will enrage audience members, and they’ll really be gunning for McCall to avenge her.

Every hero needs a monster, and Marton Csokas is perfect as brutal Russian mob fixer Teddy. Teddy is described as ‘a sociopath with a business card’ whose job it is to use extreme terror and sadism to protect his criminal organisation’s interests. A former Spetznaz operative, Teddy is McCall’s dark shadow come to life, and the two play an increasingly dangerous game of cat and mouse. Csokas is terrifying as Teddy, switching in an instant from refined and dapper to an unrelenting psychotic who’ll tear anyone apart. Devoid of all emotion, he has no qualms about the violence he employs everyday to get the job done. One of the best scenes of the film comes in a certain ‘meeting of the minds’ between these two adversaries, and it’s absolutely chilling to watch.

The Equalizers’ supporting cast are also great, both heroic and villainous. On the heroic side you have Melissa Leo as McCall’s former handler Susan Plummer, whom he turns to for information, as well as Bill Pullman as her husband Brian. The bad guys also have a great supporting cast including David Harbour as Masters, a corrupt police detective, David Meunier as vicious pimp Slavi, Johnny Messner as a hired hitman, and Dan Bilzerian as a member of Teddy’s Serbian mercenary team who are brought in to deal with McCall.

While The Equalizer focuses its attention on story and character when the action does come, it’s unflinching in its brutality. McCall is an expert, and he wastes no time going to work on the bad guys, tearing them apart in quick, calculated succession. The film’s most memorable battle takes place in a hardware store that McCall transforms into a death chamber. It’s definitely not for the squeamish, and will make you look twice at power drills and garden shears.

The Equalizer is an absolute must-see for film fans, thanks to a director and cast at the top of their game, not to mention a story filled with action, drama and honour.

Image source: Roadshow Films.

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