The Equalizer 3 is the satisfying conclusion of a trilogy nine years in the making. Denzel Washington & director Antoine Fuqua masterfully bring this franchise to a close that works because of how well they understand the titular character.

The film starts off with a unique one-take shot that sets the tone for what’s to come. Its different approach to the story shows allows the film to stand out compared to the first two and can even let new viewers to get in on the ground floor. From there, it is clear that Denzel continues to be in the front seat as he is the best part of the entire trilogy through its highs and its lows.

This entry is certainly the most calmest out of the three. It can take a while to get the next action piece, but whenever it does, it comes out of nowhere and makes the wait entirely worth it. The climax also feels like out of a Hitman game. Between the action Denzel’s character, this is definitely one worth checking out.

As for flaws, there are aplenty, even if the pros heavily outweigh them. The third entry is the shortest one in the trilogy and there is a substantial portion of the movie where either not much happens or it frequently cuts from scene to scene pretty quick. Even though I loved the beginning, it could have really done more. This entry is the shortest out of the three and I think there could have been more to beef up the runtime versus random scenes like one where the villains are huddled together talking about how they are going to kill the main character while eating spaghetti. It’s things like that that I am sure we didn’t need.

The film also never really understands how to make it work whenever Denzel isn’t on screen. The villains are certainly the weakest here. They are just bad to be bad. Other than Dakota Fanning being there for nostalgic purposes, the film never knows how to utilize David Denman. The reveals towards the end was also quite weak and random between why Denzel’s character goes on the journey that he does and why one particular character is important.

Overall, through its flaws, The Equalizer 3 is a surprising and emotional conclusion that mostly lands the perfect ending that this trilogy needed. It’s been quite the journey for almost the last decade. Washington & Fuqua should be proud of what they did here.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)