The Equalizer 3 - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Equalizer 3

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
Antoine Fuqua is back along with Denzel, and that means that we’re getting the 3rd of his (so far), Equalizer Trilogy. I was a HUUUUGE fan of 2014’s The Equalizer. It was one of those “perfect action movies” that came out along the same time period of John Wick, basically breathing life into a dying genre that was being supplanted by constant superhero movies (ohhh, how I wish we could go back to those days when we though 2014 was “glutted” with Super hero films. Poor naive us) and put Denzel back on the map again as Robert McCall, the ex CIA agent freelancing in order to help those who need it. The second movie was a bit of a drop, with McCall having retired AGAIN, this time just living life as a Lyft driver until he’s drawn back into his old job of delivering retribution to kick some bad guy butt.

I thought that The Equalizer films were dead back in 2018 as the sequel to Antoine Fuqua’s gold strike was not nearly as good, and not nearly as successful at the box office. But, here we are some 5 years later with a 3rd sequel that keeps some of the same elements of the first couple of movies, but makes it much more intimate and contained than the action extravaganzas that came before it.

McCall (Denzel Washington) is back in a much different tale than his previous two films. In the past he was a retired CIA agent who came out of retirement to help the downtrodden and basically star as a one man action hero. Here, McCall is tired, worn down, and ready to let it all go. On a mission in Sicily, he gets shot in the back and crippled partially, having to walk with a cane and stumble everywhere he goes. Setting up camp in Southern Italy, he starts to see the simple life as something he really wants to be a part of. However, the local Italian Mafia are terrorizing the locals with the typical schemes of extortion, bribery and general mayhem.

Not wanting to get involved, McCall stands outside the lines, watching until the people around him TRULY start suffering. Unable to stay out of the picture and live his life in peace, McCall pulls out all the stops and targets the local mafia drug lord and makes sure that he will NEVER bother the locals again.

The Equalizer 3 acts as a late stage Death Wish movie rather than the explosive action of the previous two films. In fact, there’s almost no action for the first 50-55 minutes of runtime as Robert McCall gets used to the quiet life, only to watch it not be so quiet when the innocent villagers around him are getting bullied. Also, it’s less full bore action, and a much more brutal and violent revenge thriller as well. Gone are the slow motion action shots of him shooting a nail gun in a warehouse, and instead we watch an older, wiser, and much more off McCall systematically hunt and torture the people who are destroying the lives of the innocent.

I’m not sure that I like it nearly as much as The Equalizer, but The Equalizer 3 is a decent step up over the generic feeling Equalizer 2. It’s not as action oriented, but it features some NASTY kills from McCall, and works as a slow burn thriller until the final 25 minutes of runtime. Yeah, Robert McCall is basically a super hero by now, but I really don’t mind. It’s fun to see Denzel lay waste. My only real problem with the film (and this is an irritating one) is that Denzel doesn’t really seem to be putting his heart and soul into the project. He’s aged a lot in the last 5 years, and doesn’t really look the part anymore (He’s gotten into that Steven Segal stage where he’s wearing baggy shirts to hide the weight gain) and he over acts quite a bit here. It’s like he’s trying to remember his character at times, and other times he just slips effortlessly into the roll. At the end of the day it’s not the end of the world, but it makes the 3rd film feel a little cheap and “what could have been”. But on the flip side it features a more brutal and violent plot that deviates from just your standard action movie, giving it a boost over the mediocre second film.




Rating:

Rated R for strong bloody violence and some language.




4K Video: Video:

I actually watched the Blu-ray before sitting down with the 4K UHD, and I was roundly impressed by the 1080p disc for what it is. The film is heavily desaturated and color graded towards browns and stone grays, along with the contrast levels. The results is a film that very aesthetically dingy and grimy, yet immaculately detailed image. Usually you see Italian shot films blasted out with ambers and yellows, but the film is literally one of the most desaturated and brown looking flicks I’ve ever seen. Black levels remain deep and inky for the most part, though I noticed some crush when McCall makes his final assault on the villain’s pitch black mansion. One thing I noticed when comparing to the 4K disc was just how much BRIGHTER the Blu-ray is. Almost to the point where I thought “huh, I like the brighter image a lot more than I thought I would”, though when comparing to the 2160p 4K UHD disc, it’s obvious that the Blu-ray just doesn’t hold a candle. All of that brightness may make the backgrounds more appealing, but it turns the faces pasty white and everything gets blown out with the aggressive highlights. Again, this is a subtle (yet kinda obvious) but the 1080p Blu-ray still looks amazing.








Audio:

Sony has continued their frustrating habit of ONLY putting the Atmos track on the 4K UHD, while leaving the Blu-ray to “suffer” in 5.1 land. That being said, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is a very good base for the Atmos track to expand upon, and will not disappoint you in the least. Vocals are clean and clear in the front of the room, while the surrounds and bass get quite a bit of activity in the latter half of the movie when the action kicks off. That sound as McCall slams the truck into one of the gangster is jaw dropping, and you can actually hear the individual voices and clanging spoons in the back speakers during the tense restaurant scene. The mix is rather front heavy for the first half as it builds the suspense up, but once we get into the second half of the film this is a killer track with TONS of great activity..












Extras:

• Deleted scenes
• Blood Brothers: The collaboration of Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua
• Call to Action
• Robert McCall: A Man of the People
• Denzel and Dakota: A Reunion
• Postcards from the Amalfi Coast
• Jacob Banks' "Monster" Music Video

Final Score: ​

The Equalizer 3 is a fun jaunt that adds some nuance and changes to the original story lines. McCall is still the titular hero, but he’s aged and beleaguered in a way that reminds me of Charles Bronson’s later roles. The film itself looks and sounds great on Blu-ray, and if you’re into the film at all it should make a very nice sounding/looking disc with some moderate extras. I’d give the movie a solid 1 thumb up.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaja Scodellaro, Remo Girone
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Written by: Richard Wenk, MIchael Sloan, Richard Lindheim
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French (Canadian), Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony
Rated: R
Runtime: 109 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: October 14th, 2023

Recommendation: Fun Watch