The Equalizer 3

The Equalizer 3
Starring Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman
Directed by Antoine Fuqua

There's been an unfortunate trend in films nowadays where it seems that even the most basic of stories needs at least two and a half hours of runtime to tell it, no matter how easy the story is. Take for example "God is a Bullet." The film is basically about a father finding his daughter who was kidnapped by an evil cult. The film could've been done in an hour and a half, maybe an hour forty tops - but instead it ran for an excruciatingly long two hours and thirty six minutes. Throughout that time the story circled in on itself, plots went nowhere, characters didn't really develop, and it was a complete waste of time. That's not the case for the third (and possibly final) "Equalizer" film. It runs for a respectable one hour and forty nine minutes, and there's not a second that's wasted on screen. The action flows seamlessly, the dialogue is crisp and captivating, and the entire feel of the film hearkens back to a simpler time in action movies where a good guy has to do bad things to stop the bad guys. All in all, while it's nothing out of the box, it fits comfortably within its runtime and doesn't overstay its welcome.

After killing a crime enforcer and his henchmen in Sicily to retrieve a key to acquire funds stolen in a cyber heist, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is shot in the back and taken to a local doctor in the small town of Altamonte. While recuperating he begins to grow a fondness for the town and its citizens, and they adopt him as one of their own. Soon, however, he learns that things aren't as pristine and peaceful as they seem, as a local crime syndicate run by brothers Vincent (Andrea Scarduzio) and Marco (Andrea Dodero) Quaranta are bleeding the town of money and plan to run everyone out of town so they can turn the town into a commercial success. Robert sets out to equalize the equation as only he knows how - with bloody violence. Along the way he inspires the townspeople to stand up for themselves as well, and enlists the help of CIA agent Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning) to investigate the Quaranta crime family's illegal drug trade.


The Good:
"The Equalizer 3" is a throwback to the 80s action movies in that it really don't stray from its dedicated purpose. It doesn't try to add philosophical, existential meanings to the bad guys or the good guys - it just exists to allow the viewers to watch the bad guys get dispatched in bloody ways and for the hero to emerge victorious, freeing a small town from the tyranny of a local crime syndicate. That's all it was advertised as, and it's all it delivers - and that's just fine.

This is the shortest of the three "Equalizer" films, and it still supplies enough violence, gore, and action to satisfy your hunger. The effects hold up well, the visuals are actually quite impeccable (especially scenes where you see Washington's McCall in a foggy black-lit screen, or an impressive shot of Dakota Fanning's Emma interrogating a criminal where you only see their faces and a black backdrop), and you have a vested interest in the outcome. Although you know how it'll all turn out, it's wholly satisfying to see such creeps get their comeuppance.

Denzel Washington never did a sequel until "The Equalizer 2," and now with "The Equalizer 3" he's done his first trilogy, under the careful eye of director Antoine Fuqua, whom Washington as worked with in two films previously (including "Training Day," where he earned his only Oscar currently). By now Washington knows Robert McCall, and he plays him with a suave arrogance that's endearing. He knows he's the best at what he does, and he knows he does it to help those who can't help themselves, and he seems to have a gleeful time doing it. Whether he's taunting the bad guys or proving his worth with any sort of improvised weapon, Denzel Washington commands the screen and proves why he's one of the best actors out there today.


The Bad:
The side story with Dakota Fanning's CIA agent is a bit disjointed, even though both stories really fall into the same vein. McCall enlists her to help take down the mafia the legal way while he goes about dispatching them in a...well...not so legal way. It seemed like it was just there for Fanning and Washington to work together again after "Man On Fire," and while their chemistry is still palpable, I wished there was more for Fanning to do than play second fiddle.


The Summary:
While it doesn't tread any new ground, "The Equalizer 3" doesn't need to. Instead it accomplishes what it sets out to do - be a lean, mean, fun-filled action film helmed by the impeccable talent of Denzel Washington.


The Score: A