Even though the comparison doesn’t set the standard very high, “The Equalizer 3” might be the greatest in this Denzel Washington movie series since it embraces an old Western concept instead of paying homage to its TV roots, namely “Shane.” As a result, the “final chapter” has a little more dramatic weight, but it still provides enough equalizing for those who are eager for it.
The fact that Dakota Fanning and Washington are back together nearly 20 years after he murdered a lot of people on her behalf in “Man on Fire” contributes to the sentimentality of their third collaboration with director Antoine Fuqua and writer Richard Wenk.
In Italy, where the Mafia conveniently provides plenty of vicious human cannon fodder to zero out in his drive to balance the scales of justice, Washington’s world-weary former assassin Robert McCall is practicing his vigilantism-for-those-in-need brand.
The opening sequence of “Equalizer 3” more than justifies the film’s R rating in the first three minutes of the film. McCall is left hurt and in need of a place to rest after that confrontation. Luckily, he finds one in a charming seaside town where the residents welcome him, and he eventually returns the favor.
McCall starts to consider putting down his weapons and finding a wife, much like Shane, Alan Ladd’s gunfighter in the latter days of their age. Unfortunately, the Mafia has plans for the village and McCall must decide whether to intervene. It’s not a particularly difficult decision in terms of movies, but they go through the motions.
As written, there’s more to it than that, beginning with the fallout from the aforementioned opening brawl and a tip that McCall gives to a young CIA agent (Fanning), assisting her in progressively connecting the crime scene to a broader and more sinister scheme.
Fuqua and Wenk deftly weave together the various threads given the basic structure’s simplicity—with Washington projecting quiet strength as the last person any thinking criminal ought to mess with, joining Liam Neeson’s “Taken” trilogy in indicating the AARP-eligible crowd among effective killing machines. Even if the huge crime boss (Andrea Scarduzio) and overarching danger are nearly entirely generic, the impact gives the film greater emotional resonance.
In US cinemas, “The Equalizer 3” debuts on September 1. R is the rating.
Review by CNN’s Brian Lowry