The Equalizer 3 (2023)

Plot of The Equalizer 3: We meet McCall in a Sicilian farmhouse where he has created havoc, we know not why. He has killed everybody except a boy, who shoots him in the back with a .22. McCall drives off and makes it to the mainland where he passes out in a layby, but is rescued by a village policeman and cured by the local doctor. During his recovery he telephones CIA agent Emma Collins and lets her know what is going on in Sicily, triggering a secret service intervention with the help of the Italian police. McCall regains his strength and becomes familiar to the locals, but it becomes evident that they are being predated by gang of villains, and after a while, after telling them to go away, he kills them. They are members of the Camorra, so the boss comes after him but, helped by the locals, he survives and goes to their headquarters in Naples for a final showdown.

Content: No sex or nudity, but I think there is a bit of social drinking. Central to the plot is the smuggling of fenethylline tablets, which kill the Camorra boss after being forced to take an overdose. McCall has several major battles, the first in the Sicilian farmhouse, the second in the small town where he has taken up residence and the third in the Camorra headquarters. All are extremely violent. In a confrontation between the police chief and the Camorra boss the police chief has his arm cut off. McCall recovers by walking about in the town and we see what a delightful place it is and how friendly the locals are. He also interacts with Emma Collins the CIA lady who visits his location. And don’t forget why he was in the farm house in the first place.

A View: This film did not seem to have made general release in Spain, but it appeared the other day on our cable channel. It has almost certainly made money. It is noticeably more violent than  the previous outings. Apparently people have said that there was not enough action, but it seemed to me to be quite well balanced, so if you can stomach the increased violence then give it a go. I particularly liked the ending, where it is revealed what he was up to in Sicily.

Fun Fact: Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning were last in a film together in 2004. It was Man on Fire and she was 10 years old.