The Equalizer 3 (2023)

What makes The Equalizer 3 special is the way it turns a familiar vigilante thrill ride into something unexpectedly serene and soulful—until it isn’t. Antoine Fuqua frames Southern Italy with postcard beauty and lived-in warmth, letting Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall feel almost at peace, which makes the film’s bursts of cathartic, precision-tooled action hit with extra force. Washington remains the franchise’s secret weapon: charismatic, quietly funny, and carrying a lifetime of weariness behind the eyes, while Dakota Fanning adds a sharp, grounded counterpoint. If you want a slick, meditative action-thriller that doubles as a satisfying farewell (and you’re fine with its grim, no-nonsense violence), this is a surprisingly fitting and crowd-pleasing capstone.

The Equalizer 3 wants to be a sun-soaked, late-career victory lap for Robert McCall—part cozy Italian postcard, part vigilante justice fantasy—and on that level it mostly delivers. The problem is the story feels like it’s running on autopilot: familiar beats, thin character work, and villains who don’t have the presence to make the conflict truly gripping. If you’re hoping for a smarter thriller with tense cat-and-mouse plotting or fresh stakes, this will likely feel tired and a bit dumb, leaning hard on violence to do the heavy lifting. Still, Denzel Washington’s calm authority and a few sharply staged payback moments may satisfy you if you’re simply here for efficient, no-nonsense action comfort food.