When the director Antoine Fuqua and the star Denzel Washington burst into the action movies genre with The Equalizer (2014) almost a decade ago I can imagine little they expected the film would become a total hit, an almost cult-classic, and would happen to be one of the most glorified action sagas of the new century, alongside the almighty John Wick. The sequel The Equalizer 2 (2018) certified the status of the character in the podium of action referents. And now, with The Equalizer 3 (2023), the saga becoming a trilogy seems to get to its end.
In the new movie, since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.
The Equalizer 3 (2023) reunites the stars Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning for the first time in 19 years since the action thriller Man on Fire (2004), where he played a former CIA operative bodyguarding the little girl. The two of them shared an amazing chemistry that is still recognized decades after. Since then, Fanning has built a solid career not only as a child star but also as an adult having participated in Hide and Seek (2005), War of the Worlds (2005), Push (2009), The Runaways (2010), Night Moves (2013), Brimstone (2016), Ocean’s Eight (2018), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).
Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, Remo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero, Daniele Perrone, and Zakaria Hamza complete the main cast.
Antoine Fuqua, a solid director in action and thriller movies responsible for The Replacement Killers (1998), Bait (2000), Training Day (2001), Shooter (2007), Olympus Has Fallen (2013), The Magnificent Seven (2016), and The Guilty (2021), is again the director in The Equalizer 3 (2023) as he did in the other 2 titles of the saga. The writers of the other two films, Michael Sloan, Richard Lindheim, and Richard Wenk, who is also known for Vamp (1986), 16 Blocks (2006), The Mechanic (2011), The Expendables 2 (2012), Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016), and The Protégé (2021), are also back to pen the new screenplay.
In August 2023, the director Antoine Fuqua stated that there have been discussions to develop a prequel movie detailing the origins of Robert McCall. The filmmaker stated that using de-aging technology to make the star Denzel Washington appear younger is an option, while he would also consider casting John David Washington or Michael B. Jordan in the role. Later that month, Fuqua stated that while The Equalizer 3 (2023) was talked about internally as the final film chronologically, he would be interested in returning as director for a future installment if Denzel Washington was interested in returning to the role. So perhaps this is not the last film of the Equalizer saga, but it seems to be the final in the current timeline trilogy.
Sony Pictures Releasing is distributing the film that is coming out in theaters worldwide on September 1, 2023. Watch its official trailer here.
