Bullet Points: The Equalizer 3

As a fan of the original Equalizer series, I went into 2014’s The Equalizer with my fair share of skepticism… even with the winning combination of Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua attached. However The Equalizer proved to be one of the rare reboots that worked. In fact, it worked so well that a sequel was almost immediately greenlit. The Equalizer 2 hit theaters in 2018 and three years after that, The Equalizer was back where it all started on CBS.

Now Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua join forces yet again to give us the final chapter of Denzel’s Robert McCall in The Equalizer 3…

• 9 Seconds: If you’ve seen the trailer for The Equalizer 3 you know about the 9 seconds… well it felt like only 9 seconds into The Equalizer 3 that we already see what is left of some of the bad guys who have been equalized by Robert McCall in Sicily. McCall is there to take back something Lorenzo Vitale, one of Interpol’s Most Wanted, stole. The entire sequence at the vineyard in Sicily gets the movie off to a hot start and while Robert accomplishes what he set out to do, he does not do so unscathed.
• When in Altomonte: The worse for wear Robert, manages to make it to the ferry and finds himself nearly dead on the side of the road in the town of Altomonte in Southern Italy. Gio, an off-duty police officer, finds Robert and takes him to the local doctor, Enzo. Enzo is able to get the bullet out of Robert and gives Robert a place to recuperate. As he recuperates, Robert (or Roberto as he is known in Altomonte) begins to feel at home and there’s an undeniable feeling that Altomonte is where Robert is supposed to be.

• You Can Take the Boy Out of the CIA: …but you can’t take the CIA out of the Boy. Early on in his recovery process, Robert calls a CIA office, that only someone who had been in the CIA would even know about. Robert does not just call anyone at random, he specifically calls Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning) and tips her off to some of the more unusual things he saw while at the vineyard in Sicily. Unusual things that will tie into the other nefarious people Robert has to deal with as the movie goes on. But why did Robert choose to tip off Emma?
• The Camorra: Altomonte is a beautiful place with a close knit community but it is not without its problems. Like many small towns in Italy, the people of Altomonte find themselves at the mercy of The Camorra (or Mafia for Americans like me). The head of The Camorra, Vincent Quaranta (Andrea Scarduzio), is looking to run the locals out of Altomonte so he can turn the seaside town into a resort with hotels and casinos. Helping Vincent terrorize the townsfolk is his younger brother Marco (Andrea Dodero). The Brothers Quaranta are nasty individuals and the movie does an excellent job allowing them to build up a resume of dastardly deeds before they push Robert too far… making it all the sweeter when Robert takes the fight to them.

The Equalizer 3 was a wonderful swan song for Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall. Robert saw what life could be like with his equalizing days behind him, then has to go right back to his equalizing ways to prevent that happy ending from being taken away from him… and that means plenty of the in your face action and graphic violence that we’ve grown to expect from the films (including some of the best kills in the trilogy).

Let’s give this review a happy ending with some Bonus Bullet Points…

• Reunited: Getting to see Man on Fire co-stars, Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning, work together again is definitely one of the highlights of The Equalizer 3. Their scenes together give the movie some moments of humor and heart.
• Familiar Face: David Denman, who will always be Roy from The Office to me, played Emma Collins’ CIA superior, Frank Conroy.
• Best Henchman: Gotta give this award to Alessandro Pess’ The Viking!
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Denzel Washington shoot a dude right in the poop chute, then The Equalizer 3 is the movie for you.