Denzel Washington’s version of The Equalizer was always going to be different from Edward Woodward’s 1980’s TV version played as a savvy pensioner armed only with a bag of Werthers originals and a plaid thermos flask. But Washington’s was a retired government operative at the top of his game and a lethal killing machine with a conscience. The Equalizer 3 being the intended last part of the only trilogy of films Washington has ever made, ups the violent ante right from the start with a camera prowling through an Italian mansion decked with brutally deceased bodies not seen since Ed Gein’s Christmas decorations. It all leads to Denzel’s Robert McCall seemingly cornered but inevitably extricating himself in the most bloody and brutal manner we’ve seen yet and sets up the audiences expectations of the kills to come.
Now relocated in a small coastal Italian town McCall where, after an unusual lapse in judgement which sees him shot in the back, he recuperates at the home of the villages doctor having been taken there by the only policeman – there’s a lot of single person jobs here which extends to a fire service made up of an incontinent pensioner (‘You’re fired ! – Ed). But its whilst McCall gets back to health that befriends a local fishmonger, barista et al and soon sees that town is at the hands of the local camorra run by the brother of a bigger boss who’s intent on turning the town into one bedecked with casinos and chain hotels and woven into this is a sub plot about drug money financed terrorism.
Like the two previous films McCall has someone to mentor and here its Dakota Fanning as a CIA operative who he spoon feeds information. But it’s McCall who takes the fight to the villains presumably because any Italian firearms unit on encountering trouble would immediately surrender but the justice that McColl doles out is satisfying if not also excruciating as he brings the pain.
Written once more by Richard Wenk, The Equalizer 3 has McCall looking for some kind of peace and salvation in a film laden with obvious religious iconography and motifs. The villains are colourless merely there to meet a gruesome end and led by mob boss Vincent ( Andrea Scarduzio) a hot head not dissimilar to his namesake played by Andy Garcia In The Godather Part III but no one that comes anywhere near to Marton Csokas psychotically violent villain in the first film.
Being the final film in the trilogy the script conjures up a few call backs to the original film both obvious and subtle ( that corkscrew through the chin makes a reappearance) but Equalizer 3 adheres to the previous films template of a one man wrecking ball laying waste to all in his path. Fanning’s role brings little to the role although her first face to face with McCall is good but quickly peters out.
It’s a fitting if not spectacular end to the trilogy and Washington is as compelling as ever in the role and the Equalizer 3 though offering nothing new but gives the audience what they want against a stylish background.
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Here’s The Equalizer 3 trailer…..
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