The Equalizer 3

The Equalizer 3 is my next same-year-"retro"-catch-up review (or whatever you want to call it) as something I initially skipped in theaters and opted to watch at home once it was available to rent...for a decent price (looking at you $19.99 Barbie rental I want to watch again!). 

That wait turned out to be a good decision as my movie trips become more and more precious with less and less time to set aside hours for multiple movies a weekend, especially as I lean into my author and publishing goals. 

As I look back at this Denzel Washington-led franchise, I'm left with mostly a sense of: "wait...what's happened?". I usually have a pretty good memory of which films I've seen vs. not and I could have SWORN I saw Equalizer 2, but apparently I haven't. My review of the original indicates I enjoyed it, but for the life of me, I can't remember all that much. Especially with superior, similar films like the John Wick franchise taking over this good-guy-killer genre.

With this sequel, it's probably no surprise that you get a lot of mileage out of Denzel Washington. He's charismatic enough to make us believe that, even though he decapitates somebody, he's a "good guy" and he's intense enough to pull off the action sequences. Similarly, the film has some added benefit (similar to an INSANE number of other films this year) from the Italian coastal setting. That may be my 1-year-removed Italian honeymoon creating a sense of longing...either way, I loved the setting. Also special are the action sequences - there's an exactness to them, and they're brutal - even if there should have been more. Overlay an oft-used and fitting original score that features an awesome theme song, and you've got an effective thriller on the surface. But its story is lacking, almost one of those that feels like it was written by AI, and prevents it from making any lasting impact. Even worse, it ends with an odd whimper rather than something more rousing than the scenes we've gotten before. 

The Equalizer 3, much like this franchise (I'm assuming for 2), is one of those great-on-TV films. You have it on in the background, you're paying attention to the majority of it, but you have the luxury of going to the bathroom, checking your phone, making a sandwhich, etc. and still getting to enjoy its good parts.

Rapid Rath's Review Score | 6/10