Movie · 2023 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 49m · R · English
Curator score: 2.8/10 (361.6K ratings)
Justice knows no borders
Overview
Robert McCall finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he discovers his friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends' protector by taking on the mafia.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.8/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.09/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 58
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Antoine Fuqua
Production
Columbia Pictures, Eagle Pictures, Escape Artists, ZHIV Productions
Cast
Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, Remo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero, Daniele Perrone, Zakaria Hamza, Manuela Tasciotti, Dea Lanzaro, Sonia Ammar, Alessandro Press, Niccolò Fava, Alessandro Xavier De Silva, Adolfo Margiotta, Niccolò Senni, Bruno Bilotta, Adriano Sabrie
Where to watch
Hulu, fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict
A stylish, lean revenge thriller with a strong sense of place and a reliably magnetic Denzel Washington performance. It’s lighter on plot and character depth than the best entries in the genre, but the atmosphere, controlled violence, and late-film payoff make it worthwhile if you’re in the mood for a moody action-crime hybrid.
Best for
fans of restrained, older-hero action movies
viewers who like crime thrillers with strong atmosphere
people who enjoy brutal but not constant action
fans of Denzel Washington
audiences who appreciate travelogue-style location shooting
Skip if
you want nonstop action set pieces
you need a tightly plotted crime story
you dislike slow-burn pacing
you want the series’ most emotionally rich chapter
you’re not interested in a subdued, elegiac tone
Overview
The Equalizer 3 trades the franchise’s earlier procedural snap for something looser and more meditative. Robert McCall is less a superhero than a weary avenger drifting through a sunlit Italian coastal town, and the movie is at its best when it lets Denzel Washington sit, observe, and then suddenly become terrifying.
Worth noting
The appeal here is tone: Robert Richardson’s photography gives the film a polished, almost postcard beauty, while Fuqua stages the violence with blunt force. The story is thin and occasionally feels like it’s stretching to fill space, but the setting and mood do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Bottom line
If you want a propulsive action movie, this may feel undercooked. If you’re open to a crime thriller that behaves like a slow-burn western by the sea, it delivers enough menace, craft, and star power to justify the trip.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Mike Finnerty (3★) · 1748 likes
Denzel spends like 20% of this movie sitting down at a table drinking tea and coffee
Sean Fennessey (3.5★) · 1630 likes
I would watch 5-7 more editions of this franchise if Robert Richardson continues to shoot various European villages while Denzel stabs thugs in the neck.
Joe A (2★) · 689 likes
Denzel says grazie a thousand times and we get a tension-less convoluted snooze fest. Bold move to vacate any of the aspects that made the first one entertaining. Denzel is still Denzel, so it’s watchable, but I’m not really sure why Dakota Fanning is even here except to score brownie points from the Man on Fire fans.
Will be a big hit on TikTok and YouTube since the movie has a singular scene worth revisiting.
zoë rose bryant (3.5★) · 663 likes
this is half travelogue of italy, half slasher film, and it rules
The Greek Geek (2.5★) · 605 likes
I can imagine people expecting to see an over the top action movie, and being disappointed when most of the movie is Denzel chilling, drinking coffees and speaking Italian.
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