The opening action sequence of The Equalizer 3 contains what could possibly be the greatest gun punch in cinema history. Denzel Washington punches a gun in the face while holding a gun in his hand, and the barrel goes through the dude’s eye. THEN Denzel pulls the trigger. I knew right then and there I was in for something special.
We catch up with Denzel, who is now in Sicily healing up from a bullet wound. Naturally, he tries to rush his recovery and more than one of the locals tells him to “go slower”. I think that was director Antoine Fuqua’s policy too. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. I’m not saying the movie goes slower in a “moves like molasses” way. I’m saying it goes slower like someone savoring every bite of a good meal. After three Equalizer films together, Fuqua probably knows this is his and Denzel’s last go round, so they’re taking their time with this entry.
Sure, his character is older and slower too, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still kick ass. It’s just that time might be catching up with him. And when your time is fast approaching, the only way to fight against it is to slow it down.
As Denzel rests, he gets to know the people of the town. He thinks he could settle down in a place like this. Predictably, some local hot shot gangster wannabes harass the townsfolk and shopkeepers and try to run them out of town. It’s then up to Denzel to set things right.
The Equalizer 3 is a modern updating of the old gunslinger’s last stand motif with a small Sicilian village filling in for a Wild West town. After the showstopping opening, things remain quiet, but powerful throughout. This is a case where less is actually more. We are witnessing a man craving peace and he only turns to his old ways to achieve it. What makes the movie special is that he’s not seeking retribution, just a nice place to settle down. He’s not out for vengeance. Just peace and quiet. I liked that. The finale kind of sneaks up on you too, if only because the scenes of Washington being welcomed into the town work so well. Things end not with a big action sequence, but with a long drawn-out scene of the bad guy suffering. Some viewers might’ve been hoping for something closer to the Home Depot massacre of the first film, but for this entry (and possibly the series), it’s a fitting end.
Sent you the Camp Blood trilogy DVD(remember when that franchise was just a trilogy? LOL)that contains the first 3 movies so you can do some more sequel catch-ups.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I just got it in the mail yesterday.
ReplyDelete