The Equalizer 3 (English) Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
THE EQUALIZER 3 is the story of a man who takes on the mafia in Italy. Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) arrives at a vineyard in Sicily, Italy where he defeats drug lord Lorenzo Vitale (Bruno Bilotta). He calls Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning), who works at the CIA, and informs her that she should check out the goods at the vineyard as it might lead them to a terrorist cell that they didn’t know existed. While leaving the site, Robert is shot. He is saved by a cop, Gio Bonucci (Eugenio Mastrandrea), who takes him to Altomonte, a sleepy seaside town. A kind-hearted doctor, Enzo Arisio (Remo Girone), saves him and allows him to stay at his residence. Robert recovers and loves the vibe of the town. He befriends the residents and decides to spend his retired life in Altamonte. However, all is not well for the peace-loving residents. The camorra aka the mafia often harasses the residents while asking for protection money. Marco Quaranta (Andrea Dodero), brother of gangster Vincent (Marco Quaranta) roughs up a fish seller Angelo (Daniele Perrone) when he fails to pay. When Enzo tries to investigate, Marco attacks him mercilessly. Robert decides to stand up for the residents. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Richard Wenk’s story is clichéd and reminds one of Hindi films like SHOLAY [1975], GHULAM [1998], GHATAK [1996], JAJANTARAM MAMANTARAM [2003] etc. Richard Wenk’s screenplay is not up to the mark. He has written very interesting characters and the setting also has potential. But he doesn’t do justice to it. The dialogues are normal. Almost half of the dialogues, however, are in Italian.
Antoine Fuqua’s direction fails to impress. To give credit where it’s due, he starts the film on a rocking note and keeps viewers intrigued as he introduces the characters and the setting. The antagonist oozes fear and it adds to the madness. However, after a point, nothing much happens. One expects action and that’s hardly there in the film. The finale fight is dramatic but is not as action-oriented as one would have liked. On top of it, the plot reminds one of 90s Hindi films and it doesn’t go with the overall mood of the series.
Denzel Washington once again rocks the show. He saves the film to an extent. Dakota Fanning is okay. Remo Girone leaves a huge mark. Andrea Dodero comes next. Marco Quaranta and Eugenio Mastrandrea are okay. Gaia Scodellaro (Aminah) is lovely.
Marcelo Zarvos’ music is exciting. Robert Richardson’s cinematography is outstanding. The silhouette shots stand out. The work of the DOP is so good that one will wish to pack their bags and head to Italy for a vacation. Naomi Shohan’s production design and Giovanni Casalnuovo’s costumes are realistic. Conrad Buff’s editing is dragging. The 112-minute long film should have been shorter by 10-15 minutes.
On the whole, THE EQUALIZER 3 suffers on account of a weak second half and limited action.
