The Equalizer 3

If it's not broke, then don't fix it. They haven't fixed it in 40 years, and they didn't fix it in this movie, either.

“The Equalizer” films have always been junk; they’re based on a mid-1980s TV show that was no great shakes to begin with. What did Washington ever see in them?

Denzel seems to be sleepwalking through every scene that doesn’t involve gouging and/or stabbing.

The Equalizer 3 marks a fitting and warm end to the franchise. It offers all the audacious violence and familiar set-pieces of the previous films, paired with a wistful goodbye to its central vigilante.

Clearly Fuqua, the producers and production team are hoping viewers like their attention to aesthetics. Their dream may come true.

Finally, on the series’ supposedly last outing, one of its films lives up to the ever-deepening talent of its leading man.

The production looks good with spot-on cinematography by Robert Richardson, and an effective heartbeat score by Marcelo Zarvos.


Bluntly put, it’s a snooze, and we’re left with the nagging feeling that it should be considerably more engaging, and make better use of its extraordinary star.

A movie that knows what it is and what its strengths are, even if it is often limited by its director.

This returned the franchise to the high spot that the original sat on after its release. Credit Fuqua with being a director who, like Mr. Tony Scott, is able to pull different shades of Denzel out of the hat for a crowd without sacrificing his essence.