Denzel Washington is just killing it as Robert McCall. That man could read the phonebook and still be captivating, but here he's upping the ante with every fight scene. I didn't think it was possible, but the brutality level actually went up a notch, and I was all in for it!

The pacing had its slow moments, sure, but it wasn't a buzzkill for me. It's like savoring a fine wine before you get to the fireworks; you appreciate the explosions even more when they come. Plus, the total running time felt just right, you know? Kept everything on an even keel.

And let's talk about Dakota Fanning! Loved how her role wrapped up in this installment. It felt like the story threads finally wove together into this complete tapestry. Kinda gave me that "Aha! So that's where it was going!" moment, and I live for that in a trilogy.

The cinematography? Spot-on. Very slick shots, it all pulled me deeper into McCall's world. And those fight scenes—they were few, yes, but, come on! It's like watching a dance, if that dance could incapacitate you in five seconds flat.

So, yeah, I had an awesome time with this one. It's like the film grabbed me by the collar and didn't let go until the credits rolled. If this is how they're closing out the trilogy, then bravo! They stuck the landing, 100%

"The Equalizer 3" (2023), directed by Antoine Fuqua, is the third installment in the action franchise, featuring Denzel Washington as Robert McCall. The film opens with a stomach-churning scene of violence in Sicily, where McCall dispatches an army of killers to retrieve a mundane package.

The film's distinguishing factor is its insatiable appetite for carnage. Fuqua and cinematographer Robert Richardson go to great lengths to showcase the gore, from ruptured arteries to knives sticking out of faces. Despite the brutality, the film struggles with its tone and narrative direction.

Washington's performance as McCall is commendable. He portrays a man who does bad things for good reasons, feeling guilty for his violent actions but compelled by a sense of justice. His character's conflicted relationship with violence adds depth to the film.

However, "The Equalizer 3" falls short in several areas. The film's plot feels anticlimactic and the violence often feels gratuitous. Moreover, the film's reliance on impractical effects and its ham-fisted McGuffin detract from the overall experience.

Despite these shortcomings, "The Equalizer 3" offers familiar set-pieces and audacious violence that fans of the franchise may appreciate. It also provides a fitting end to the series, with a wistful goodbye to its central vigilante.

In conclusion, while "The Equalizer 3" is a flawed film with an over-reliance on gore and a lack of narrative coherence, it still delivers on action and features a strong performance from Denzel Washington.

The new Equalizer film franchise is devoid of the moderation, charm and gentlemanly grace of the original television series, with Edward Woodward.

instead, its mired in gratuitous, humiliating, dehumanising violence, with a key character who feels more like the Terminator, than an assassin with a conscience. In short its ugly stuff. I managed about 15 minutes of this, before calling it a day. I will say too, for me, this kind of unnecessarily violent nonsense, is whats wrong with the world today.

In summary, brutally violent, ugly and inaccessible. I'll pass.

Anyone remember the little tune that went with the Edward Woodward television series? Well you won't hear it here in this rather procedural vehicle for Denzel Washington. His usually meticulous planning is compromised by a young lad with a rifle. This leaves "McCall" needing the care of a doctor "Enzo" (Remo Girone) in a small Sicilian town that is about to become the centre of the venal ambitions of "Vincent" (Andrea Scarduzio) and his henchman younger brother "Marco" (Andrea Dodero) who uses his team of thugs to extort from the local businesses. It's only a matter of time before heads clash and, well - you can guess the rest of this actually rather brutally predictable drama. Dakota Fanning appears now and again in a rather unnecessary sub-plot involving the CIA and some Syrian narcotics smugglers that is really undercooked - but for the most part this is really just Denzel being, well, Denzel on his quest to save his new-found friends from the grip of the unscrupulous Camorra. It's overlong for what it is, and I found Washington's performance to be rather sluggish throughout before a denouement that came across as rather simplistically rushed. It's fine, but forgettable.