The Equalizer 3 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Equalizer 3 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"Do I look like a guy who kills people?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown November 15, 2023

Denzel Washington and filmmaker Antoine Fuqua's revival/reimagining/reboot of the classic '80s TV spy thriller has struggled to gain as much traction as you might expect, at least from a film series headlined by the likes of such a respected A-list heavy hitter. But the heights of the "new" Equalizer seemed to peak with its first feature outing in 2014, which remains its best. Its 2018 sequel played like a rehash, one that never quite found its second act footing and failed to deliver much of an exciting climax. Reviews and audience feedback echoed as much. Which brings us to The Equalizer 3, a trilogy topper I suppose that slips another rung down the action-oriented, John Wick-wannabe ladder. Washington is certainly as compelling as ever as former U.S. Marine and DIA officer turned selfless, suitably violent man of the little guy Robert McCall, and the actor's sweet reunion with his scene-stealing Man on Fire co-star, Dakota Fanning, is well worth two hours of your life. Beyond that, though, there's little to get excited about. E3 is an often exhausting run through the series genre motions (with an international setting, 'cause I guess Boston only has two stories worth of vigilantism to its back alleys). It never rises to the level of must-see actioner, nor does it make much of a salient argument that more Equalizer outings are something to anticipate or hope for in the coming years.

Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington in his third time playing the titular vigilante with a heart of gold) has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: becoming the common man's protector, once again, by taking on the mafia. The third-parter reunites Washington with 'Man on Fire' co-star Dakota Fanning and also stars David Denman, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Gaia Scodellaro, Rimo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio and Daniele Perrone.

McCall's latest... adventure? Tale of revenge? Quest for justice? Scratch that. We find McCall mid-murder... killing... um... wow, The Equalizer flicks get murky. When we catch up with McCall (who, let's all admit it, is an undeniably cool cat of an action hero), we quickly learn he's relocated from Boston to Sicily, where an early-in-the-film bit of action leads to a serious wound. Retreating deeper into Italy, he passes out, only to awake in the quaint seaside town of Altamonte, where he almost immediately begins befriending the locals; salt of the earth folk who, of course, just so happen to need the services of someone with McCall's skillsets. Cue a surprisingly formulaic entry that, were it not for Washington, would be as forgettable as it is desperate to mix up the plot and deliver something different from its predecessors. Unfortunately, the more Fuqua and writers Richard Wenk, Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim try to reinvent the wheel, the more same-y it all feels. Not so much an issue considering the episodic nature of the original TV show, but it it's painfully clear someone believed that a more cinematic air would somehow translate into a more cinematic experience. Quite the contrary. The Equalizer 3 plays more like a middle-of-the-road episode of a TV series than it does a full-fledged feature film. Is it a bad episode of our hypothetical Denzel-and- Dakota TV show? Nah. It's decent enough, has a few standout sequences and, at least on the part of the aforementioned duo, offers some solid performances and fairly well- choreographed fisticuffs and shootouts.

But the farther McCall plows toward the inevitable, the more I began to ask the question pounding in my brain: why? Why is The Equalizer 3 here to Equalize? Who thought we needed this particular bit of renegading so much that it deserved its place on the big screen? It comes across as more of a semi-logical next step in a series the studio, filmmaker and actor are eager to strengthen and grow rather than a harrowing action thriller with real meat on its narrative bones. (We're going to have a baby. Are you ready for a baby? I don't know, but we've been married for six years so I guess that's what we're supposed to do next. Sigh.) I'm sure it's also a complete coincidence that the first two films earned $190 million a piece on $60-70 million dollar budgets. Apologies for being cynical but E3 plays like a sequel made for sequel's sake. There are moments of intended character depth aplenty, and there is legitimate investment in further developing McCall as an engaging anchor point. But when we have movies like Wick and saltier fun like Bob Odenkirk's Nobody, the stoic Takens and Equalizers of the world are starting to feel stiff in the joints. Long in the tooth. Gray around the ears. If you're fresh out of stylized violence and need a quick hit, you could do worse. But you could do much better too.

The Equalizer 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Equalizer 3 arrives on 4K Blu-ray with a top tier 2160p video presentation that's every bit as good (perhaps more so?) than the Equalizer series' equally impressive 4K predecessors. Like the Blu-ray edition, colors here are muted overall, as is contrast, but that's in keeping with the film's original photography. It's a tad strange to see Italian vistas overcast with such cold hues -- often its' quite the opposite, with flooding oranges and overbearing ambers -- but it certainly suits Fuqua's established tone and lends a sense of sadness, even loneliness to the picture. That's not to say there aren't any moments of warmth or lush color to be had (blood reds are especially visceral), only that the palette's strengths are more subtle. There is a slight uptick in depth and fullness in the image thanks to the benefits of HDR colors, and pale blues and fleshtones are perceivably, though minimally, more natural and refined. Black levels remain rich and inky throughout as well and delineation remains quite remarkable despite the heaviness and opaque nature of the deep, noir-esque shadows. Detail, meanwhile, is more than striking; noticeably more so than with the 4K presentation's 2K counterpart. Razor sharp edges are free of any oddities, fine textures are incredibly revealing (especially in close-ups of Washington's wizened face), and only a handful of shots exhibit any softness (even then, each instance is clearly part of the original source rather than an issue with the encode). There also isn't any hint of banding, artifacting or other irritating anomalies of note, even when bright lights punctuate the darkness. The 4K encode remains proficient from start to finish and edges out the standard Blu-ray image. Fans will want to spends a few extra dollars on this one.

The Equalizer 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 4K Blu-ray release of The Equalizer 3 comes complete with a near-reference level Atmos mix, one that doesn't traffic in bombast but rather organic, convincing aural delights that are more interested in crafting an experience than a soundscape. Voices are clean and crystal clear, perfectly prioritized in both more subdued and balls-to-the-wall action-fueled scenes, and music never falls too far or blares too loud to do anything less than enhance the experience. Every additional surround channel tends to deal in softer, more nuanced wares -- ambient city sounds, fluttering birds, distant cars, chattering restaurant crowds and the like -- but smooth pans are spot-on directionality create an immersive, wholly believable soundfield, especially with this Atmos track, which handily bests its lossless standard Blu-ray counterpart. Low-end output isn't just the icing on the cake, it's a tasty, beautifully rounded dessert unto itself. It not only retains a presence as McCall quietly roams his new Italian stomping grounds, it roars to life when car bombs, mayhem, street violence or, more to the point, McCall erupts. It even lends notable brutality boosts in key sequences (an attack on a policeman's family, the film's opening killings, etc.) There's also a sonic floor-drop sensation every time action is about to explode (took me a bit to hear it but it's there), drawing you in then flinging you back (so to speak) when machine guns fire, cleavers thunk into skulls or bodies, erm, hit the floor. (Apologies for the song that just popped into your head.) 4K release and Atmos enthusiasts will be ecstatic. This is what it's meant to sound like, kiddos.

The Equalizer 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Equalizer 3 Featurettes (HD) - Like many recent Sony releases of 2023 films, both the Blu-ray and 4K editions of The Equalizer 3 offer a small string of short, 4-7 minute EPK-esque featurettes that touch on -- but never quite dig into -- various aspects of the production. The five rather self-explanatorily titled featurettes include "Blood Brothers: The Collaboration of Denzel Washington & Antoine Fuqua", "Call to Action", "Robert McCall: Man of the People", "Denzel and Dakota: The Reunion" and "Postcards from the Amalfi Coast".

• Lyric Video (HD, 4 minutes) - Jason Banks's "Monster".

The Equalizer 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you have any interest in The Equalizer 3, Sony's 4K Blu-ray release is the way to go. It not only edges out the standard edition with a superior video presentation, it offers a high quality Atmos mix that doesn't disappoint. More special features would've been nice -- especially an audio commentary -- but here we are. I said it before but regardless of how much you like or shrug your shoulders at the film itself, you could do a whole lot worse than tossing some hard-earned cash at this AV beastie.