“The Equalizer 3” fills the void of significant action movies. The film may or may not be better than the first two “Equalizer” movies, but it definitely captivated me in a way that other movies didn’t. The camera work and the visuals work together to create an uneasy feeling in the opening scene, which sets the tone for the action and suspense carried throughout. “The Equalizer” has always been a prominent franchise, belonging in the same category as other suspense movies such as “John Wick” and “The Punisher.” The third “Equalizer” still strikes with the same edge.

Here’s a warning though: “The Equalizer 3” has intense fight scenes which include gore, amputation, and lots of chaos, though no more than what we see in its predecessors. 

At the beginning of the movie, we are set in Sicily, Italy. Robert McCall, played by the infamous Denzel Washington, shoots and kills a group of Italian mafia members. After most of the gang is taken out, Robert sees a kid inside one of the mafia’s vehicles and decides not to hurt him. But this kid ends up shooting Robert as he turns his back to leave.  He is miraculously saved by an Italian doctor and soon becomes fond of the people in the neighborhood. After a while, a group of drug dealers makes its way into the neighborhood and starts selling drugs, making the community miserable. Like any good “Equalizer” movie, the rest of the plot has Robert McCall serving justice to those evildoers.

“The Equalizer 3” reintroduces other characters and elements from the second movie, such as Emma Collins, played by Dakota Fanning, the CIA Agent who investigates Robert.  The plots of each movie are tied nicely together, which makes for a good transition into the third installment. Of course, you would have to watch the second movie to appreciate this element, but “The Equalizer 3” doesn’t rely on this for its plot and can still be watched without seeing its predecessors.

What makes this series timeless is that it doesn’t feel the need to be self-aware like “The Matrix Ressurection” nor does it try to force modern humor that will date it. The movie didn’t make any references or jokes about Washington or any other nonsense that gets put into other vigilante movies.

The third movie fits right into the “Equalizer” franchise due to its tone and consistency. It felt like I revisited the same atmosphere that I got from the others. It’s just a good crime film, a breath of fresh air in an era when movies try to do too much. In every “Equalizer” movie, we typically see Robert dealing with either a gang, a mafia, or just horrible people who have no regard for the innocent. Dealing with psychos and (figurative) monsters puts a strain on Robert’s mind, causing him to think that he could be a bad person too. But despite the contradicting thoughts, he still fights for what is right and tries to be the best person by doing the best for people. 

This movie definitely demands your attention; there are a lot of key elements shown throughout the film that lead up to the climax, which wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t really mind-blowing either. The fight scenes before the end were definitely scary but exhilarating. It was disturbing but it had me on the edge of my seat; waiting for what would happen next. All in all it’s pretty intriguing. I hope that new movies, pre-existing crime and thriller movies, and even the Marvel movies could learn from this movie, so they can produce quality movies that have good characterization. If you are interested in suspense, thriller, and seeing scoundrels getting what they deserve, I would encourage you to watch this film.