The two most important action sagas of recent years were born in 2014: John Wick AND Equalizer. Both franchises have found their extraordinary success on the shoulders of two Hollywood veterans, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington.
Over the past ten years, these two sagas have stood out more than others for their originality and resourcefulness, entertaining the public with spectacular fights and murders. After directing the first two chapters, Antoine Fuqua returns to directing. Equalizer 3 – No Respite complete the story of Robert McCall (Denzel Washington).
A former government agent, now retired, is trying to live a quiet life in a small village in southern Italy. A well-deserved rest is violated by a mafia family that oppresses the villagers to whom Robert becomes attached. After seeing so much injustice, Robert decides to act in the only way available to him: to stand up for the oppressed and challenge the mafia.
Equalizer 3 this is not a typical action movie – like other films of the saga – due to the presence of a protagonist with a dual character: calm and kind to his neighbor, icy and ruthless towards evil. The film’s setting, plot, and villains surround the only thing that matters to the viewer: Robert’s actions and how he destroys his enemies.
At the beginning of the film, the doctor who saved his life asks Robert if he is a good person or a bad person, and he replies that he does not know. This sentence of yours has all the contradiction of an anti-hero who never looks away when he sees injustice but does morally dubious things. If the second film can be considered a real sequel, then the third chapter can be considered independent. Frankly, the authors, with minimal effort, inserted an element (practically useless) linking Equalizer 3 to the saga. Definitely too little to complete the trilogy.
The characterization of secondary characters and villains is really superficial and impossibly formulaic, but so much so that Denzel agrees with everyone when he appears on the screen. Fortunately, the director did not fail to show the brutal murders up close (the only convincing moment of the film). Compared to previous chapters, Equalizer – No Respite you never get the feeling that Robert is in danger, even when he is in a stalemate. The power difference with the bad guys is just too big and it’s completely intentional, but it could have been handled better by giving viewers a bit of tension. Let’s also add that the enemies are so vile and insignificant that it’s nice to see how they die a brutal death.
Thankfully, Denzel Washington has publicly stated that this will be his last film in the series. This is great news for us, because in the third chapter we feel the weariness of him and the director. Let’s hope the box office doesn’t change anyone and that the retiree who may have managed to find some peace of mind is left alone.
(Equalizer – No Respite Antoine Fuqua. 2023, action movie, 109 minutes)
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