Connor Bynum // Film Critic
THE EQUALIZER 3
Time for a bit of transparency: I have not seen the first two films in this series. They looked fun, but life got in the way. Before I knew it, the first and second EQUALIZER films had both come and gone.
So, with no prior knowledge of the franchise, believe it or not, THE EQUALIZER 3 stands well on its own, and it’s an absolutely stunning 4K presentation.
Movie Grade: A-
Nearly ten years have gone by since the first film was released, and director Antoine Fuqua reunites once again with Denzel Washington in this hyper-violent yet maturely restrained finale to their Equalizer trilogy. Washington plays a hardened, cold-blooded killer with an unbreakable moral code named Robert McCall, who has stumbled upon a criminal underworld in Sicily. After a brutal opening sequence showcasing the seemingly endless creative ways Robert is able to end the lives of Italian gangsters, our hero is wounded and taken in by a local doctor who welcomes him into his Sicilian community as he recovers. After bonding with the people who welcomed him into their lives, Robert feels compelled to defend them from the mobsters who extort them for “protection” and becomes the protector that the local government has refused to be.
While the action sequences in the film are insanely gruesome to behold, there is an undeniable amount of patience exhibited by Fuqua, as there are only around three actual fight scenes in the whole movie. These three scenes prove that quality is always better than quantity, as each is filled with numerous memorable and gloriously violent kills. The scenes in between the sequences could be argued as padding or skippable filler, but in reality, these scenes place character development and tension at center stage, so the fights feel earned and all the more impactful when they finally arrive. They also showcase Robert’s age and the sincere desire the character has to put the violence in his life to rest until absolutely necessary.
Overall, I was very pleased with THE EQUALIZER 3. Its slow burn pacing punctuated with jaw-dropping action could have easily been mishandled under a less seasoned director. As stated above, I have not yet seen the first two films in the series, but now that I’ve seen the finale, I can’t wait to watch the rest of the trilogy.
Video/Audio Grade: A+
THE EQUALIZER 3 was captured in 4.6K and mastered in a native 4K Digital Intermediate and is quite simply a flawless visual presentation. The amount of detail on the screen cannot be understated. Dust particles floating in the wake of Robert’s destructive rampage in the opening dance in the light, stains of dark blood contrast the white stone walls and floors of the vineyard, and bullet wounds are highly realistic. The heavy use of practical sets and makeup effects works wonderfully in 4K with hardly any noticeable inconsistencies.
Three-time Oscar-winning Cinematographer Robert Richardson (JFK, THE AVIATOR, and HUGO) joins Fuqua for the first time in the series, and his masterful use of minimalistic lighting makes for a gorgeous 4K experience thanks to the inclusion of Dolby Vision and HDR10. Numerous scenes are dominated by darkness as Robert lurks in the shadows, stalking his prey, and the true black levels on this disc are absolutely perfect.
The Dolby Atmos audio track, which automatically converts to a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix, is also superb. Bullets ricocheting, screams in long hallways, and bones crunching, to name a few examples, come through crystal clear and make plenty of use of the side and rear channels. Dialogue is also perfectly balanced in the mix, with numerous quiet moments never causing me to reach for the remote.
Extras Grade: C
There are only a handful of special features included on both the 4K disc and the bundled standard 1080p Blu-ray. It’s nice to see them available on both formats, but the lack of any actual depth on these features is nonetheless somewhat disappointing. It should be noted that even though the extras are available on the 4K disc, they are still presented in 1080p on both formats.
- THE EQUALIZER 3 Featurettes:
- Blood Brothers: The Collaboration of Denzel Washington & Antoine Fuqua
- Call to Action
- Robert McCall: Man of the People
- Denzel and Dakota: The Reunion
- Postcards from the Amalfi Coast
- Lyric Video – “Monster”
Final Grade: B+
THE EQUALIZER 3 is a very solid action film and a simply perfect 4K UHD disc. The extras do leave a good amount to be desired, but when is that not the case these days? Fans of the series should definitely add this one to their shelves, and those of you who (like me) are new to the series should still find plenty to enjoy here. THE EQUALIZER 3 is available on 4K UHD Blu-ray now.
