Denzel Washington's 2023 Action Thriller Is Finding New Fans On HBO Max

The original TV series "The Equalizer" ran on CBS for 88 episodes and four seasons from 1985 to 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a freelance benevolent helper who put out ads offering his services. McCall was once a murderous CIA operative of some kind, and is attempting to atone for his previous government-sponsored crimes by lending himself out as an investigator. 

In 2014, filmmaker Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel Washington adapted "The Equalizer" to the big screen, this time much more terse and violent. Washington's take on the Robert McCall character is more worldly and helpful, taking odd jobs to pay his own bills, but just as often committing violent acts of vigilante justice. McCall is friends with a teenager sex worker (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is injured by her Russian mob pimp, instigating a vigilante killing spree. On a $73 million budget, "The Equalizer" made a boffo $193 million, leading to two sequels. "The Equalizer 2" did just about as well at the box office, indicating that Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua had hit a successful formula. Also, the pair clearly enjoy working together, as "The Equalizer 2" was the first sequel Washington ever made in his career. Washington and Fuqua have made five movies together. 

The current hit burning up the charts over on HBO Max, though, was the 2023 sequel "The Equalizer 3." At this point in his story, Robert McCall is getting a little too old to continue his relentless quest for vigilante justice, and finds a place where he feels like he can settle down. For this film, McCall is in Italy tracking down and slaying mobsters when he finds that a little village on the Amalfi Coast might be just right for a rest. The killer finds peace.

It's hard not to think of "The Equalizer 3" as being just as much a vacation for Denzel Washington as a violent crime thriller. The opening scenes of the movie see McCall breaking into a Sicilian winery that serves as a front for a cybercrime network of thieving gangsters. McCall pretty effectively murders most of the bad guys, but is shot in the back on his way out the door. McCall tries driving away, but is eventually rescued by a kindly Italian cop named Gio (Eugenio Mastrandrea) who takes him to the quaint seaside village of Altamonte to recover in secret. 

A long portion of "The Equalizer 3" is then devoted to McCall's recovery and his genuine enjoyment of the quiet seaside life. He likes the locals, and enjoys the local cafes. There are certain scenes that look to be Washington just enjoying a nice morning stroll. And it very well could have been; "The Equalizer 3" was shot on location in Italy (which was a tough location for the vomit-prone crew).Also, it's worth noting that Washington was in his late 60s when he made "The Equalizer 3," and while he could still convincingly convey menace, he didn't have quite the raw physical strength that he did in his youth. It's possible that he and Fuqua (and "Equalizer" screenwriter Richard Wenk) invented an action movie locale where the character could finally retire. 

There is, of course, a larger crime plot. The Sicilian winery was connected to a much wider crime ring than initially assumed, leading directly to the local Camorra, a very old syndicate.

McCall tries to send an anonymous tip to a CIA friend named Emma, played by Dakota Fanning, but the CIA is able to find out where he is pretty quickly. This film marks a reunion between Washington and Fanning, who worked together on Tony Scott's 2004 film "Man on Fire." Like the Italian village scenes, the scene with Dakota Fanning feels like something the actors are enjoying more than the characters. Maybe that's why "The Equalizer 3" was such a hit; the audience is enjoying the real-life fun that the crew is having in addition to the violent vigilante justice that McCall will inevitable begin doling out in the film's second half. On a $70 million budget, "The Equalizer 3" made over $191 million. All three movies made about the same amount of cash, which is unusual for a film series like this. 

Most critics liked "The Equalizer 3," which has a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 167 reviews. Both Christy Lemire and Tim Grierson on the "Breakfast All Day" review show found a lot to enjoy in the movie, with Lemire saying that there was some end-of-the-road poignancy in it (for a "dumb action series") and liked watching the McCall character find a home. Grierson enjoyed at least some of the action, although he would have preferred more of it; he likes the shoot-'em-up elements more than the emotional aspects. 

Robert Daniels, writing for RogerEbert.com, only gave "Equalizer 3" one star (out of four), having been completely unmoved by either the violence or the charms. He called the film "hot garbage," feeling that its attempts to feel like a classic Western (a violent stranger protects a rural town from outlaws) failed miserably. 

But I liked it.