The Equalizer 3: The Final Chapter (2023) || Movie Review.

I waited, I was patient, my expectations were high, I was anxious and in the end, the waiting was worth it! Denzel Washington is back and I am happy I got to watch the solid concluding chapter to this entertaining trilogy, 'The Equalizer'. Waiting for the concluding chapter to this trilogy was torture for me, it seemed like I was waiting for a million years but then I got myself distracted with 'Queen Latifah's Equalizer TV series' which was worth my time. My set expectations for this movie were met and it was a well deserving way to finish this trilogy.

The Equalizer 3 is a vigilant action film that is directed by Antoine Fuqua and it is the concluding installment of 'The Equalizer Trilogy'. It is alway the final installment until they say it is not but I hope they keep it that way and don't come up with a spin off or prequel or continuation later. It was written by Richard Wenk and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.

The story of this movie revolves around a retired U.S. Marine and DIA officer Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) as he gets settled into his retirement life in a small town in Italy, but then trouble comes to wake the sleeping dog. The movie starred Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Gaia Scodellaro, David Denman, Bruno Bilotta, Andrea Scarduzio, Remo Girone and Andrea Dodero.

The opening scene of this movie was suspenseful, gory, terrifying, heart gripping, unexpected and satisfying. I won't talk about it here, because I don't want to spoil the fun for you. So I will Summarize the synopsis of this movie starting from the second scene.

Our retired U.S. Marine and DIA officer Robert McCall, found him in a house unknown to him being treated by an elderly man. Robert was injured badly in the opening scene. The injury was so bad that he went unconscious while he was driving back home. A good, concerned citizen, Gio Bonucci, a local police officer of a small town called Altamonte in Italy. Gio brought Robert to Altamonte where he is treated by elderly small-town doctor Enzo Arisio.

Recovering from his injuries, he gets familiar with the people of the town. During his time of healing, makes an anonymous call to a CIA officer Emma Collins to tell her about a drug trade that is disguised as small or normal business in Sicily. He also tells her the location where this illegal trade takes place, which is a winery. Collins was skeptical about this information at first but Robert has his ways of convincing about the truth.

Collins and other CIA operatives went to the winery and discovered millions in cash along with bags of drug tablets hidden in a storeroom which at last confirmed Robert's tip. On the other hand, there was a mafia group called the Camorra who were busy harassing the locals, taxing and assaulting them. They are a group of thugs who keep oppressing the people of Altamonte. Because these Mafia thugs are shitheads they assaulted Robert's samaritan, Gio and this activated our retired Robert. Will it end well?

My Review And Rating.

I love the location where this movie was filmed. It has nice scenery, a small town, good food, and is rich in tradition and culture. It is a place that when you go there, you would feel like settling down there which perfectly fits the plot of the movie and the setting. The director did a fantastic job with the setting, scene arrangements, action scenes and also the storytelling was good, relaxing, easy flow and ends in a satisfying and happy way.

The writer of this movie did well, though I would accuse him of dimming down the action scenes in this movie and I think the reason why he did that was to match with Denzel's age in the plot of the movie. Still, we are assured that once a beast will remain a beast regardless of the age. The writing of the movie was excellent, engaging and brutal at the same time.

I will say that is movie is more of a slow burn because the movie begins with a bloody scene, then you get to spend time with Denzel as he bonds with the community, see him challenge the Mafia thugs and then you get to the satisfying end. It was a slow burn with intentional purpose. Denzel's character was not watered down, the quality was intact and we saw him ride the flow of violence again, in a very slow, bloody and agonizing way.

The Cast of the movie was exceptional even though all the supporting characters were not given background stories, they all blended right into the plot like it was part of their lifestyle. I was able to connect with every character seamlessly without having to know them to the core. Dakota Fanning's character that felt forced for me. It was like they needed her to cover some gap and then she was introduced. I couldn't really connect with her character that much because I was like where did she come from but in the end, I got to know where she came from.

Denzel Washington was amazing. He basically carried the movie like a professional. He is intense, deliberate, charming and brutal. What I love about his character in this trilogy is that he always begs the baddies / villains to not mess around. Let's not find out today just go away and let there be peace. But then do they listen to him? They always think he doesn't know what he is saying until he turns batshit crazy on their ass. In this movie, one could feel that Denzel just wants to enjoy his retirement phase, no disturbances but peace. He wants to belong in the small community, he wants to enjoy what it feels like to be part of a community which is strange considering his character from the first sequel.

The cinematography was good, camera work was done well, the action scenes and stunts blended well in the flow of the movie. One thing I didn't like about this movie was the lack of subtitles. I mean, not everyone understands Italian. I had a bit of struggle with that. Apart from this complaint, this movie was what I expected.

Rating this movie, I will give 9 out 10 stars. It was worth, it was a solid conclusion to the 'The Equalizer' trilogy and I enjoyed watching it. If you get triggered by brutal kills or blood, I suggest not to watch this movie. Have you seen this movie? How was it for you?

A quick question before I go, if you were in trouble, you need rescuing and you were given two options to choose from; Denzel Washington and John Wick. Who would you pick to come rescue you?