If you’ve ever wanted a movie that’s equal parts Denzel Washington hanging out in Italy and brutally murdering a 10th of the population of a small town, have we got a movie for you. “The Equalizer 3” doesn’t reinvent the genre, nor does it do much of note for the character that has kept Washington in the game as a relatively solid action star despite the fact that he’s pushing 70. It is, however, a decent send-off for a perfectly fine series of films that consistently pulled off some of the best fight sequences of the late 2010s.
For fans of the previous two installments who have yet to see the third and final film, you should know beforehand that Robert McCall’s last journey is markedly quieter than usual. Director Antoine Fuqua, a fan of Akira Kurosawa, goes for a steady, patient tone that’s closer to that of “Seven Samurai” than “John Wick.” While there’s certainly a lot of blood spilled within its brisk 109-minute runtime, Fuqua is more concerned with exploring how — or, rather, if — a man who has traded in so much violence for much of his life can reach an end that’s not only peaceful and honorable but genuinely happy.
Whether one agrees with Fuqua’s conclusion will vary from viewer to viewer, but the journey is admirable and even appreciably risky nonetheless. And, as an added bonus, Dakota Fanning’s inclusion makes this the “Man on Fire” reunion we never knew we needed.
