Stream it:
|
Own it:
|
With: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, Remo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero, Daniele Perrone, Zakaria Hamza
|
Written by: Richard Wenk
|
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
|
MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence and some language
|
Running Time: 109
|
|
Date: 09/01/2023
|
|
|
|
Mafia Grounds
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
With a plethora of gorgeous scenery and Washington's ultra-cool performance, there's a lot to like about this sequel, but it's hard to deny that its energy flags as boredom seems to have set in.
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has traveled to Sicily and uncovered a cell of criminals importing illegal drugs from Syria. He easily dispatches them, but winds up shot. He wakes up in a small, picturesque coastal village, under the care of the local doctor, Enzo (Remo Girone).
While recovering, he calls CIA agent Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning) to tip her off on the Sicily situation. Then he begins exploring and getting to know his new surroundings. He starts to feel at peace for the first time, but that peace is disrupted by a crime family showing up, demanding protection money, and causing general chaos. While Collins investigates the drug operation, McCall decides to go to work on the crime family, slowly working their way toward a connection.
The Equalizer 3 starts well, with its clever, brutal Sicily sequence, which we see after it has already occurred. McCall being caught off guard and his subsequent reaction lends some weight to the character, and his recovery in the beautiful village is a delight. (There's a special moment when, maneuvering a staircase with his cane, he encounters a sweet old lady, also with a cane, who cautions him to "go slowly.")
This peace is interrupted by villains, but this time around, they are very simply flat and dull. They are evil mafia goons bent on hurting people for financial gain, with no gray areas to be found. It's not interesting, and as the movie ramps up for its big showdown, it becomes harder to care.
Moreover, whereas the first two movies — The Equalizer (2014) and The Equalizer 2 (2018) — had brilliantly-staged final showdowns with clever uses of space, The Equalizer 3 simply takes place in the villain's house, with nothing special happening; it looks like any other sequence.
Oscar-winner Robert Richardson showcases beautiful cinematography from time to time, especially the glittering nighttime shots, but ultimately this third entry leaves off on a vaguely dissatisfying note, as if the series went one sequel too far.
|
