The Equalizer 3 is the rare third entry that doesn’t lose steam

I was three minutes into The Equalizer 3 and invited my wife to sit beside me. “This looks too John Wicky”, my wife said. I assured her that it was not in that same vein, but that it would have things in common with it. I also reminded her that she saw the first two Equalizers and that really enjoyed them. Not content to take the recommendation of her loving husband, she continued quietly doing ancillary things around the living room.  “Wow, that’s gorgeous scenery”, “That’s Denzel Washington isn’t it?” and other quotes continued to echo around the sofa until her resistance to the film proved futile and she joined me for the remaining 90 minutes of The Equalizer 3.

It is understandable to be skeptical of a movie that’s three deep in the franchise. The first two Equalizer films were entertaining, but they weren’t the sort of thing that you’d hang your pop culture flag on. They made three times their budget, which by any business model is a massive success. Up until recently, it was the billion-dollar box office club that made the headlines. However, is a $400 million dollar movie that makes just over a billion dollars really a more profitable movie than one that costs $60 million and makes $190 million?

In The Equalizer 3 we see Robert McCall, the ex-CIA/government agent, up to his old tricks again. The movie starts off, much the same way that Lethal Weapon 2 does with a large-scale action sequence in progress. Actually, to be more specific, the action is just about to finish, but the audience doesn’t know why it happened or any of the players involved, other than the fact that the setting is gorgeous and that the mayhem was caused by McCall.

For the majority of the next hour, it’s an old-school vengeance flick, with the hero in recovery mode, learning to love their new life and discovering that seeds of evil live in every neighborhood. This film, The Equalizer 3 is cut from the same cloth as a classic Eastwood movie or an improved upon Bronson film. It has you rooting for the good guy, wishing that the bad guy would just stop and really hoping that the one person in the village/town/seaport doesn’t get hurt/killed/have their dog hurt/killed.

The plot can be seen as formulaic. The difference in The Equalizer 3 is that it’s so very well done. It’s made with love, cleverly shot, and wonderfully acted. The film is as much a tourist brochure for southern Italy and a canvas for Denzel Washington to remind audiences why he’s so beloved. His character, someone who is drawn by their principles to do the right thing in spite of the dangers around them, is a person who people want to believe in. They want to think that good forces like him exist, a guardian angel of sorts who will come in and break necks when it’s needed and unexpected for those who choose to do bad deeds.

The Equalizer 3 is a throwback film that will make older viewers remember a simpler time when character-driven movies, accompanied with great direction, combine to make great entertainment. Those younger viewers will watch the film and feel something that might be new to them. It’s an hour and fifty-minute intelligent thrill ride that made them think, just a little bit, and had a classic lesson that they might not realize they’ve seen. The film is rated R, but it’s a mild R and would’ve been appropriate for our 14-year-old to see. It earned that rating through violence, scenes of carnage, language and tension, especially in the final act where the villains get their comeuppance.

While the film doesn’t lose steam from its two predecessors, it doesn’t run with the same energy either. The pacing is different, the story is different, but the resulting quality is the same. It’s a refreshing and patient look back at a character portrayed by a world-class actor who never phones it in, even though he could’ve with this release. The world of The Equalizer is also one that’s different and more nuanced than John Wick. McCall’s world is more character-driven with an emphasis on relationships and helping out the underdog or poorly treated. It’s also a world that’s more attractive to casual movie fans who might be put off by the more extreme violence of Wick.

The Equalizer 3 is rated R.