[Watch our review above and/or read it in full below!]

Denzel Washington is back as Robert McCall in The Equalizer 3, a blood-soaked threequel that should tick off the right boxes for carnage enthusiasts. Franchise helmer Antoine Fuqua returns in the director’s chair.

McCall’s journey takes him to a picturesque Italian town, and the film settles into a surprisingly restrained rhythm early on. There’s a lot of quiet admiration for the scenery, some kind-hearted locals, and hints that McCall may have finally found peace. It’s all pleasant enough, but the setup lingers far too long, repeating itself while the real action stays on hold. Once the violence kicks in, though, things move at a steadier clip.

When it comes to the action, there’s no denying the thrill of watching McCall dismantle enemies with ease. But with so few credible threats, the tension quickly fades. The film also stumbles in the plot department — some key reveals arrive with promise but lead nowhere meaningful, and what should’ve been a punchy final act fizzles rather than explodes.

There’s an effort to explore McCall’s psyche — his struggle with the violent path he’s chosen — but the themes feel undercooked, adding little to what remains a fairly standard revenge tale.

That said, The Equalizer 3 still works on a surface level. It’s slickly shot, Washington is as magnetic as ever, and the set pieces, when they come, are satisfyingly ruthless. It may not break new ground, but fans of the franchise should walk away content. I ended up enjoying it a bit more than I expected.