Why The Equalizer 3's Italy Shoot Had The Crew Vomiting

Of all the 1980s properties to survive into the 20th century, "The Equalizer" has proven to be one of the most surprising. Edward Woodward embodied Robert McCall on the original CBS television series for four seasons, while Queen Latifah played a genderbent version named Robyn McCall on a reboot series that lasted five seasons on the same network. However, it's the legendary Denzel Washington who's had the longest tenure as McCall, having played the character for over a decade in Antoine Fuqua's "Equalizer" films. No single actor plays the role like the others either, with the only throughline being a central figure with a violent past using their skills to protect those that can't protect themselves. 

In terms of the McCall with the most brutal sensibilities, that honor goes to Washington without question. Fuqua's first two "Equalizer" films demonstrate just how ruthless he can be (especially with a nail gun), but it's "The Equalizer 3" that pushes the character into even darker territory. Released in 2023, the movie has the ex-Marine turned DIA paramilitary officer leaving his Boston abode to travel to Sicily and settle an affair with some Italian gangsters, only to catch a stray bullet that ensues he's not going anywhere anytime soon. This, in turn, forces  McCall to take a much-needed vacation to heal from his injuries in the town of Altamonte. Of course, as he gets to know the local people, he also starts witnessing the ruthless dealings of the Camorra mafia run by Vincent Quaranta (Andrea Scarduzio).

What follows is a string of, as /Film's Witney Seibold noted in his "Equalizer 3" review, radically violent acts against Vincent and his men. Really, Washington's McCall becomes so merciless in this installment that the movie is pretty much a slasher flick in disguise (but with the slasher as its hero). At one point McCall even goes so far as to coldly stare into the eyes of a mafia goon he just stabbed in the throat as they leave this plane of existence. This is all in stark contrast to the film's beautiful setting — one that wasn't always easy to capture, admittedly.

For all the talk of ruthless violence in "The Equalizer 3," it's a striking film to look at on account of Fuqua and company actually shooting in Italy. Altamonte is the fictional name for the real coastal villa of Atrani and its gorgeous scenery. Shooting on location also really gives a sense of living history, especially when it comes to the Italian architecture. Indeed, one of the most beautiful locations on the Amalfi Coast is the Church of Santa Maria del Bando on Mt. Aureo, which dates all the way back to the 10th century. Places of worship are also generally meant to be welcome spaces for those that enter, though this particular church is notable for being a safe haven during a nasty tsunami in the late 14th century. But in this film's case, the church was anything but that.

In a 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fuqua explained how shooting at the Santa Maria del Bando pushed the film's crew to their limits ... and had them spilling their lunch along the way. Here's he recalled that particular day of shooting:

"The church is 700 steps up; When I got there, I said, 'So, how are we going to get this equipment up the steps? Oh, we use donkeys.' I didn't see one donkey in Italy the whole time I was there. There wasn't a donkey in sight! I saw my crew, with cigarettes dangling out of their mouths carrying equipment up these steps. There was a lot of puking going on."

Anyone who's ever traveled overseas knows that trekking through European architecture on a warm day is no joke. Now just imagine having to carry loads of film equipment up and down 700 steps of stairs for however many days you need to shoot your scene. I'm in no way religious, but I'm sure it must have felt weird to blow chunks all over a historic landmark. Washington even joked about how arduous it was to get up there to begin with (via DVD featurette):

"When I was looking up at that cross, I was like 'How we getting up there.' [laughs] 'No, how y'all getting up there?' That's all part of the journey. You know, this film was a physical challenge."

The scene that takes place at the church involves a conversation between McCall and CIA officer Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning), who even gets a humorous crack in at his expense by asking if she should call an ambulance after seeing him sweat from jogging up those flights of stairs. In a DVD featurette titled "Postcards from the Amalfi Coast," Fanning also paid her dues to the hardworking crew that hauled all that equipment just so they could make the movie possible:

"I only had to carry myself and it was almost too much. So, it's a brutal trek up to the top and I commend the crew and every single person that had to carry heavy equipment and cameras and lights and things up those steps and set up everything up to actually make a movie."