3 Short Paragraphs (Or Not): The Equalizer 3

2023, Antoine Fuqua (The Infinite) -- download

This is the third movie in a series spawned from a TV show about ex-CIA operative Robert McCall (Denzel Washington, The Book of Eli), who placed an ad in a newspaper offering people with nowhere to go, no one to turn to, assistance with their troubles. But I am not sure if the movies ever really depicted him taking a client from the ads, in-world represented by Craig's List. And this one ends with him basically abandoning the idea entirely and not returning to south Boston. Odd pivot.

The movie begins in Sicily, with an older man and young boy, returning to a vineyard compound filled with the dead bodies of thugs. They follow the dead body trail into the cellar where a few remaining mooks have their guns trained on McCall, sitting comfortably in a chair. After a brief "do you know who I am?" moment from the villain, McCall easily finishes them all off, as we expected him to, but gets hit by a single bullet from the boy in the car, who Robert thought he scared off.

What was that opening all about? What happens to the boy now? Is this going to be a revenge thriller from the other side of the fence? Is Robert's injury dire?

No. It is not. But, back on the mainland, the uncharacteristically wounded Robert is found slumped behind the wheel and is gently carried to a local doctor, to be cared for, for reasons unknown.

"Are you a good man? Will you bring bad men here?" the doctor asks. Robert is unsure how to answer. No matter, the fatherly doctor cares for him and introduces him to his home and village, a bucolic seaside community seen in many a idyllic screensaver. As Robert heals, hobbling around on a cane, up the stairs and down, he comes to know the welcoming and friendly people. His OCD routines are questioned, even challenged, but always with a gentle note.

Then the Bad Guys appear, small time thugs hustling protection racket money. And as Robert gets involved, things escalate. The thugs represent a greater Camorra from nearby Naples, a widespread organized crime family in control of the area. Robert's retribution is not taken kindly, especially as one of the thugs Robert kills is the family head's brother.

Meanwhile, Robert has covertly contacted Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning, Man on Fire), a low rank CIA agent, providing her with invaluable data on the winery in Sicily. She is "following the money" but never gets directly involved in what Robert is dealing with. But they end up connecting.

Oooooo, nice connecting the Hollywood dots there Fuqua, bringing back Fanning to once again be protected by Washington the ex-CIA guy.

This was both the formula of the Fuqua Equalizer and a departure. In south Boston, Robert was home, but always apart from his environment. He found connection with his coworkers, from his covers, but it was a facade. Here, in Altamonte, he finds actual connection, and he doesn't resolve their situation by just killing everyone involved, but integrates the townsfolk themselves, into standing up to the Camorra. He is not protecting one person from an ad, but empowering an entire community to protect themselves.

Oh, they shoehorn in an actual ad client to close the movie, the original reason he went to Sicily (to recover monies stolen from a pensioner by scam artists), but this is a closing movie, a retirement movie. Robert will stay in Altamonte, become one of them. Meanwhile we learn that Collins, being celebrated for her win in Italy (bringing down terrorists funded by organized crime) was actually the daughter of Robert's late handler, Melissa Plummer who died in the second movie. A nice summation to the series.

If anything excelled in this movie, it was McCall hobbling around Altamonte. He, and Washington, are of an age where chasing after Bad Guys has taken its toll, and it shows. Sure, he is still in phenomenal shape, but the movie is introduced by him slipping up, getting wounded, by a child. The town offers refuge and an honourable retirement. Robert did bring Bad Men to the town, but he was a Good Man who helped the entire town do what they needed to. Now its time to quit. Its a nice swan song.