The Equalizer Ranking

With the release of The Equalizer 3, I decided it would be a good time to watch through all The Equalizer films. This trilogy has been very consistent in its quality with no real bad movies in the group. Denzel Washington does a great job as this action lead and Antoine Fuqua is a great director for the trilogy. I watched these for the first time a couple weeks ago in preparation for the third film and enjoyed every film in the trilogy. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of The Equalizer films.

3. The Equalizer 2

The Equalizer 2 is the weakest of the three films but is still not a bad film. Just like with the other two films, this movie has some solid action with very precise fight choreography. This movie also manages to bring some very emotional moments as we see Robert experience loss on a very personal level. I also like that this plot brings in a bit of a mystery/investigation element where we get to see Robert do some surveillance and investigative work. I liked the addition of Pedro Pascal to the story, he made for a solid character and had some great interactions with Robert. I also enjoyed the whole subplot with Miles and the relationship that builds between him and Robert. Finally, I really enjoyed the hurricane fight sequence at the end of the movie. I thought it was a very effective and intense way to climax the film. The biggest issue with this film is that it feels like a very generic action movie. It falls back on a more generic spy action plot and just loses a bit of The Equalizer shine to it. It is still an entertaining movie, but it just doesn't stand out from many other action films. Overall, while it may be a bit generic, this is still an entertaining and exciting enough action film.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

2. The Equalizer 3

The Equalizer 3 is the newest film in the trilogy and a solid way to close out this franchise. I enjoyed that this movie brought things to a small town in Italy which adds in a new type of setting with some great visuals and set pieces. Having the movie set in Italy also brings in some fun aspects of Italian culture. The movie also does a great job of building the relationship Robert has with the town. We get to see the time pass as he slowly grows to care for the people and eventually is willing to defend them. I also liked how the movie essentially makes the town its own character. As we spend more time there, the town grows more and more, and we get to see a big payoff with things at the end of the movie. Finally, I thought the action sequences in this movie were very well done, particularly the compound break-in at the end of the film. One of the main issues I had with this film was the pacing. I felt that the last third of the movie was a bit rushed and that it could have built up to the end a bit better. I also felt that the CIA characters were a bit unnecessary and were a bit disconnected from the main story which may have also contributed to the pacing issue. In the end, this is a solid throwback action film and while it had some pacing issues, I still managed to have a good time.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

1. The Equalizer

The original Equalizer film is easily the best of the trilogy. This movie reminds a bit of John Wick in that we have a man who clearly has a past with a certain set of skills and as the story moves on, we get to see the world open up around him. As with the other movies, this film established an action style that is very grounded with precise movements. I like how the choreography acknowledges Robert's OCD and ties it into his fighting style. I also really enjoy the good Samaritan aspect that plays in the first half of this film where Robert sees injustice and decides to act on it to help people. It made for a fun introduction to the character. The movie also does a great job of building in these side characters and incorporating them into the main story specifically his co-workers at the mega-mart and the girl he meets at the dinner. The movie also brings in a very interesting villain who is trying to hunt down Robert which leads into this very effective cat-and-mouse game. I quite enjoyed the climax in the Mega Mart as well. It brings a unique setting to the action genre and leads to some interesting moments. Finally, I think Robert is a very likable lead character that is just trying to do the right thing which makes for a very compelling lead character. Overall, this is a great throwback action movie that kicked off a solid trilogy of films.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+