Action-Packed And Captivating || Review Of The Equalizer 3 (2023)

On his way out of the premises, the drug lord's grandson shoots Robert in the back and runs away. Fortunately, help finds the hitman and he ends up in an Italian doctor's home. As he recuperates, he falls in love with the community and the people. Then a local gang leader, Marco (played by Andrea Dodero), starts to harass Gio (played by Eugenio Mastrandrea), the local police officer who saved Robert. When Robert connects Marco and his family to an international conspiracy involving drugs, he pulls in a young CIA operative (played by Dakota Fanning). Will they succeed in riding the lakeside Italian village of the culprits?

Review

The plot of this film is riveting. As I pointed out earlier, the setting was changed to an Italian environment in this film, giving it a fresh outlook. From the first scene, we are hooked and thrown directly into the action, with no dilly-dallying. I loved that. As the film progresses, some backstories and a few flashbacks come in, making the storytelling seamless.

I like that our main hero, Denzel Washington, does not hide his charm in this film. His acting is flawless. This franchise has moulded Robert McCall's character from the first film to be a calm, intelligent man with a fierce determination to right the wrongs in society. He detests bullies and cowards and this final instalment displayed these traits. Director Antoine Fuqua shows us a different side of Robert McCall as he speaks fluent Italian.

The action sequences are intense and thrilling. The fight choreography and cinematography are excellent, immersing the audience in Robert McCall's world of high-stakes vigilante justice. He's quick on his feet and takes no prisoners. There’s violence, gunfights, bomb explosions, knife fights and maiming.

Some of the scenes are gory and cruel but the audience accepts it as righting the wrongs in the story. I love the way Robert McCall is shrouded in enigma as the dangerous hitman that no one should mess with. Antoine Fuqua shows him off in dark and shadowy compositions, creating a spooky feel to those scenes.

The cast's performance is great but I feel Dakota Fanning wasn't given enough screen time to showcase her skills in her CIA operative role. Her presence was short and I think she deserved more. After seeing Eugenio Mastrandrea in the Netflix miniseries From Scratch where he acted alongside Zoe Saldaña, I applaud his performance in this film and hope he gets to make more American-Italian films.

Overall, I enjoyed this final instalment in the franchise. Denzel Washington did not disappoint. The film is fast-paced, thrilling and action-packed. I'll definitely recommend it to action thriller lovers. I'll give it 3.8 stars out of 5.

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^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}