[Watch our review above and/or read it in full below!]
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Denzel Washington returns as Robert McCall in bloody threequel The Equalizer 3.
Some brutal goodness for carnage lovers, with some nice direction from franchise director Antoine Fuqua.
As McCall settles into this idyllic Italian town, there’s a surprisingly measured pace that, in retrospect, feels dragged out. They’re nice people, he might protect them, Italy sure is pretty. That’s repeated over and over, while we wait for the action. It rolls at better pace once the mayhem starts, though.
Speaking of the action, while seeing McCall take down foes with incredible ease can be fun, when barely anyone poses much of a threat, predictability rises and tension lowers. And the plot, without giving much away, fails to capitalise on certain reveals that raise the stakes. There’s a set up for a big last act that… really doesn’t deliver.
The screenplay injects some slight layers to make McCall more compelling, as he ponders his role as a brutal vigilante, but they don’t add up to much in what is essentially a by-the-numbers plot.
Nevertheless, The Equalizer 3 should still be a solid enough watch for fans. I had a slightly better time than I expected. Washington elevates the material and, visually, it’s quite a stylish film.
