Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) finds himself injured in a small town in Italy where he is treated kindly by the locals. Whilst recuperating he befriends many and starts to feel one with the community. Which of course makes him feel very protective of them when the local Gomorrah increases its activities in the region. 

Denzel Washington had never starred in a sequel prior to the The Equalizer 2 so it seems almost like a missed opportunity given that this series of films has only gotten better as it has progressed. Alongside director Antoine Fuqua who also directed Washington in The Magnificent Seven remake they have carved a little bit of a niche with this action movie series based on a television show. 

This film opens with what seems like the final moments of a previous episode in the show with McCall waiting for the owner of a Sicilian vineyard to come home after decimating his guards. There is an expectation that the film might then jump to “Two Weeks Earlier” but thankfully instead it keeps moving forward and weaves a mystery thread into the story of how this situation is linked to the small town he arrives in. 

The film and characters are then given time to breathe. McCall slowly recuperates and makes friends whilst a second plot line is introduced where CIA agent Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning) starts to investigate the vineyard incident. 

On the whole it’s an enjoyable watch. There is a suitable amount of detective work and intrigue to get your mind wandering trying to figure it all out before the characters do. Whilst Washington and Fanning create characters that you are interested in and care about. 

Then of course there are a small number of clinical and effective action sequences with suitably brutal consequences. 

As for drawbacks, all of the Equaliser films have insanely saccharine and cheesy platitudes contained therein and this one is no exception. Here we have a final five minutes that are as hard to stomach as the violence but let’s face it, we all know it’s coming and should not expect anything less. 

An enjoyable wrap up to the trilogy.