The Equalizer Movies Ranked Including The Equalizer 3

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Denzel Washington’s trilogy concludes this weekend, which means now is the perfect time to look back on the series and rank them from best to worst. Personally, none of them are awful, but one of the films definitely stands out amongst the other two. Where does this latest entry rank among the franchise? Read on to find out.

Well, that was weird. After two solid action-driven films, Antoine Fuqua and Washington decided to subvert expectations and deliver a dark, meandering, somber character drama as the big sendoff. The Equalizer 3 has a handful of standout moments — that restaurant scene bristles with tension — but is so scatterbrained that it’s often hard to follow. Or maybe I didn’t care.

If the first two functioned as schlocky, violent, vigilante thrillers, Part 3 borrows its cues from the Ip Man franchise and mostly follows Washington’s world-weary assassin as he mingles with the local townsfolk. That’s completely fine. In fact, there were times I wished the movie wouldn’t resort to bloodshed and instead linger on Robert McCall’s relationship with his kindly doctor or that beautiful waitress. Hell, I enjoyed watching the man traverse a John Wick: Chapter 4-esque series of stairs to get himself back in shape.

Washington’s charisma carries the film through its slower moments, while Fuqua makes the most of his gorgeous Southern Italy landscape. Where the pic falters is in its clunky script and lackluster villains. Here, Robert combats a ruthless drug dealer who uses farms to transport his product… ah, who cares? The bad guys exist so Robert can kick ass between his tea and coffee breaks. Except, this time around, the action is largely hidden in shadows and presented with an ominous score that feels more appropriate for