The Equalizer 3
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) | Release Date: September 1, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
13
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeSep 3, 2023
While there are no surprises here, there are visceral kicks to be found in the businesslike efficiency of McCall’s retribution, and the devilish glint in Washington’s eye as he delivers it. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithAug 31, 2023
For those who can tolerate—or better yet, relish—extreme violence, The Equalizer 3 is diverting enough. If the script is so-so, the beautiful Italian locations, Mr. Washington’s still-world-class charm and an eerie, frightening musical score by Marcelo Zarvos lift it (slightly) above average for the action-thriller genre. Read full review
60
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyAug 31, 2023
The Equalizer 3 is about as good as the first film – it neatly counterbalances Fuqua’s baroque, blood-and-guts action with Washington’s ability to command attention while sitting perfectly still. Read full review
60
EmpireAmon WarmannAug 29, 2023
A solid conclusion to an unlikely trilogy and a fitting end to Robert McCall’s character arc — with Washington still entertaining as a deliverer of slick justice. Read full review
60
Total FilmEmily GarbuttAug 29, 2023
Denzel Washington is compelling in Robert McCall's swan song, but the story often falls flat. Read full review
59
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzAug 31, 2023
The film’s central problem is that it takes Fuqua forever to make the inevitable happen, and when he gets around to it, the entire set-piece arrives with all the refined taste of an overcooked noodle swimming in a bowl of ketchup. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredCharlotte SimmonsSep 1, 2023
Despite Fuqua firing on all cylinders and Washington making the most of what will probably be his final outing as McCall, the narrative foundation of The Equalizer 3 is sadly far too rocky for even the best in the business to breathe the proper life into it, only managing gasps of what could have been if the script (and, again, the possibly-guilty final cut discussions) hadn’t been so gutless. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla DargisAug 31, 2023
Washington is unsurprisingly the primary reason to watch “Equalizer 3,” which is basically a showcase for him to smolder, swagger and light up the screen as he wanders a tiny, wildly beautiful town on the Amalfi coast. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussAug 29, 2023
Good looks and brutal action can’t hide the fact that the film traffics in Italian stereotypes with the same impunity as simplistic notions of good and evil. Read full review
42
Original-CinChris KnightSep 1, 2023
The Italian characters in The Equalizer 3 tend to speak more slowly than usual, almost as though waiting for the subtitles to catch up. If you can handle that pacing, interspersed with short bursts of intense violence, then The Equalizer may yet hold your attention. But at the tail end of a summer that delivered exciting new chapters in the Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible franchises, that may be asking a lot. Read full review
40
The TelegraphTim RobeyAug 31, 2023
Washington – Man on Simmer – keeps himself awake with a few fun, staccato line deliveries. But the flurries of pointlessly sadistic violence are jaggedly dispensed, botching the build-up. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckAug 29, 2023
For those not motivated purely by a desire for cinematic bloodlust accompanied by an abrasive musical score that sounds like electronic fingernails on a blackboard, there’s some fun to be had. Read full review
40
The GuardianCharles BramescoAug 29, 2023
Like McCall, [Washington] knows his tools, an arsenal not of guns and blades but of withering stares and crumpled smiles. It’s almost enough to outshine everything else. Read full review
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