All “Equalizers” are not equal.
Edward Woodward’s was sly and dashing. Queen Latifah’s is cunning and active.
Denzel Washington’s? He’s silent and sedentary.
In “The Equalizer 3,” his Robert McCall is in Italy where a Mafia gang shakes down everyone within spitting distance.
Because the locals were kind (taking him in to recuperate after his own close call), McCall decides to come to their defense. In the process, the quiet American discovers the CIA is interested in him.
An agent (Dakota Fanning) has entered his serene, tea-filled life and learns there are drugs being trafficked through a winery. The two work together — at arm’s length — and watch as residents get “The Godfather” treatment just about everywhere they go.
Like that iconic film, “Equalizer 3” is shot in autumnal colors, existing in locales where Michael Corleone might visit. The bad guys, however, don’t have as much class as the American mobster and often rely on henchmen to press their case. When McCall shows them how one man can level an army, it’s clear who’s going to win.
Even a situation with everyone in the town square leans in his favor. To creep up on his foes, McCall always dresses in black, lurks in corners and makes friends in high places.
When it’s time to settle the score, he’s ready.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Equalizer 3” doesn’t seem like the third part of anything, just another installment with lots of violence. Heads roll, hands are cut, bad guys meet notable ends. But this doesn’t have an overriding theme like “The Godfather.” This is killing for the sake of violence and Fuqua doesn’t skimp on the blood.
When McCall gets the Camorra gang in one building, he has a bloody end in mind for everyone.
Fanning, meanwhile, hovers around the film’s edges. At times, it’s unclear why she’s even there.
What’s even more puzzling is the number of subtitles “Equalizer 3” boasts. It’s practically a foreign language film, and it doesn’t need to be.
Washington handles everything with his usual confidence, but he’s not tested the way he has been in films like “Fences” or “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” This is commercial Denzel not Oscar Denzel.
Based on a long-running television series, “The Equalizer” franchise doesn’t expand much, either. Unlike “Mission: Impossible,” it settles for a blue-chip star and a well-worn premise.
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