Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington team up for another Equalizer sequel, this time moving the story to gorgeous Italy. With picturesque backdrops the power duo attempt to do something more with the Robert McCall character, but this one, despite sharing the story with Man On Fire co-star Dakota Fanning doesn’t quite have the punch of the first or second film.

After an opening sequence that sees former operative Robert McCall (Washington) getting injured, he wakes up in a beautiful coastal Italian town, where he begins his recovery, and finds himself becoming accepted by the village, and sees a chance to be at peace with himself.

Unfortunately, a local crime family is intent on taking over the town and making it their own, with plans of hotels, and more. Seeing the violence the thugs dole out against the town pushes McCall to take a stand, and confront the criminals once and for all.

He also sends information back to a US agency, touching base with Emma Collins (Fanning) who learns, thanks to McCall, that the money the criminals pay for the drugs they’re selling is being used to pay for terrorist actions, and she’s determined to put a stop to them.

I found that the first two films took their time with the story, and the characters, and this one felt like it was over too quick, coming in just over an hour and a half. I like the fact that every single one of the films tries to tell an expansive tale, involving a number of characters, but this one felt a little rushed.

I wanted to see McCall not only enjoying his time recuperating in this little town, but also slowly taking the mafia family apart a little at a time. Instead, after one incident, everything races to the final showdown.

Having said that, I like the way Fuqua tells his story, and I love how Washington portrays his character and isn’t afraid to show the man growing older, and accepting who he is. Washington has always been top-notch, and that’s one of the things I liked about seeing him do a couple of sequels, you get to see him approach the character differently each time he comes to it. They’ve grown and aged together.

I really quite like how Fuqua and Washington updated the classic 80s character for the big-screen, I would want a little more from the story in this case, but I would love to see Washington do another one.

There’s something that appeals to a number of viewers about vigilante characters, taking the law into one’s own hands to preserve justice. Stories like that resonate and will no doubt continue to visit our screens.