Robert McColl is back in Antoine Fuqua’s third and what promises to be his final Equalizer movie. The quiet, former intelligence officer who takes on the big guy for the little one finds himself taking on his biggest threat yet: the mafia. While this will never be groundbreaking or change the face of action thrillers, this small-scale series of films based on the hit TV series of the 90s is an entertaining entry to a character with one saving grace: Denzel Washington.

After taking down a top drug lord, McColl seeks a quiet life in Southern Italy. He finds himself being saved by a town doctor and recouping in a village where sitting in a pizzatta drinking coffee and watching the world go by is the usual way of life, which seems to suit McColl. That is until the threat of violence comes in the form of a gang wanting to take over the town for their illegal profit, and there seems to be only one man who can help: McColl.

Fuqua’s film series took a standard TV thriller with an excellent lead in Edward Woodward and injected a 21st-century vibe into it by casting his Training Day star Washington into a role no one expected him to play. By doing this, the pair created an update relevant to the modern series while capturing an almost roguish outlaw who seems the most unlikely of heroes. A man who enjoys a book while drinking tea in a very mannered fashion. The first film had him protecting a child prostitute from the Russian mob. The second and least successful in terms of the story had McColl going against his own, so it would only make sense to move the action abroad and for this gentleman to take on his most challenging group yet, the Italian mafia. And while it has stereotypes galore, it manages to work.

With award-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson behind the camera, this picturesque Italy seems perfectly scenic, with its white-painted houses, quiet corners, and bay views. It’s the perfect place for this man who cannot decide if he is good or bad to end his twilight years. While there are plenty of quiet, almost meditative moments, it also has plenty of extreme violence that you have come to expect from his series. Sone is incredibly graphic, including a scene where a gun is pushed through its victim’s head. This is not for the squeamish. Yet they are directed in a way that they are never lingered over. They happen, and then they move on.

This is more than just another grisly action film. This is about a man looking for answers. Looking for a life, he can quietly slip away from his past. It’s more a character study than just a silent killer. If you have never seen the previous Equalizer films, this doesn’t matter. You can dip into these complete tales and not feel you have missed too much. Unlike other franchises, which are extensions of past movies, these are complete.

Denzel Washington is the star of these films; without his presence, they wouldn’t be as interesting. He is pure charisma. Even sitting at a cafe with his obsessive napkin folding routine, you are hypnotised by his scene persona. He has to do very little, yet you know he has done a lot. He is reunited with his former co-star of Man on Fire, Dakota Fanning. Now grown up, she plays the CIA operative who he lets into his world without getting too close, and the brief moments they share scene time is like waiting for that moment in Heat with Pacino and De Niro, although not as legendary.

The Equalizer 3 isn’t for the faint-hearted. The violence is full-on and detailed, but it’s a much more accomplished action feature than most of late, thanks to a director who knows how to handle the material and a star who gets more charismatic with every film he leads. This might disappear over the years, but it’s worth checking out if you like this kind of movie.

4 out of 5

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, Remo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero

Written by: Richard Wenk, (based on the television series created by) Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim

Running Time: 109 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 30th August 2023