I understand whyThe Equalizerseries pulled back on McCall’s “no gun” rule, but I still think this was a mistake.The Equalizerfranchiseis Denzel Washington’s first ongoing series, and despite the third film being intended as a finale, the series looks set to continue for at least two more.
The Equalizer 3’sendingsaw Washington’s McCall retiring from his equalizing ways and settling down in a small Italian town. It also found McCall recovering from a gunshot wound that nearly killed him, inspiring his move to retire from vigilante life.Possibly due to McCall’s injury, the character isn’t as physical as the first two movies.
I also noticed a sharp uptick in McCall’s use of guns, right fromThe Equalizer 3’sopening. Not only does he use them to dispatch the henchmen of a violent mobster, he shoots said mobster in the ass with a shotgun in an uncharacteristically sadistic move.
This is in contrast to the originalEqualizer, where, outside of forcing a gangster to fire their pistol at another attacker, McCall doesn’t actually shoot a gun.The third instalment made McCall’s reliance on weapons part of the story, but it robbed the sequel of more creative fights.
I Wish The Equalizer Movies Hadn’t Abandoned McCall’s “No Guns” Combat Style
The Equalizer movies turned their fights into puzzles
One of the things that setsThe Equalizerapart from other action franchises likeJohn Wickis thatMcCall largely eschews gunscompletely. Sure, he’s holding them on the posters or Blu-ray covers, but in the first two movies, it’s rare that he even holds one.
McCall’s use of guns as a last resort added a layer of creativity to McCall’s fights.
The only time he uses a machine gun, for example, is inThe Equalizer 2when he needs to lay suppressing fire on a sniper.With guns taken off the table, McCall would use everyday objects like corkscrews or teapots as weapons, using the surrounding environment as his toolbox.
This made for some intensely visceral fights, but there was a puzzle-solving element to these sequences too. Audiences could see McCall mentally mapping out the items available when a fight was starting, so there were a lot of payoffs when he put that idle corkscrew to good use.
In a 2014MTVarticle (viaScreen Rant), Washington and director Antoine Fuqua discussed McCall’s reluctance to use a firearm. He’s labeled “anti-gun” during the chat, andFuqua believes McCall’s gun philosophy can be traced to his violent past.
He is sort of anti-hero guy, reluctant to, ashamed even, to pick up the gun again, but because he wants to help other people, he does.
McCall’s use of guns as a last resort added a layer of creativity to McCall’s fights too. He is precise in just about every element of his life, which includes turning random items into effective killing tools.
The Equalizer 3’s Use Of Guns Was Disappointing
McCall’s call to arms made sense within the narrative
According toAOBG,Washington’s McCall kills close to 40 people inThe Equalizer 3, with a good percentage of these coming from using guns. The story opens with McCall having embraced his inner killing machine and enjoying the violence he inflicts. The sequel is, in part, about his journey toward regaining his humanity.
McCall being shot early on also rules out any intensive fight sequences for the character, limiting his ability to use toilet brushes or selfie sticks as lethal tools. Even so,The Equalizer 3’s use of guns turned it into a more traditional action flick.
Outside ofThe Equalizertrilogy, Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua also worked onTraining DayandThe Magnificent Sevenremake.
It’s not like the third outing features constant shootouts, butthe lack of a standout physical fight, combined with McCall solving most of his issues with firearms, sets it apart from the previousEqualizers. Even in the finale, he uses a silenced pistol to make his job a little easier.
Of course, McCall pulling back on fights might be down to Washington himself getting a little older. The actor turned 70 in 2024, soit’s understandable that Washington might want to scale back on physically taxing fights. McCall is the same age as Washington, so there is logic to the character solving his issues in a more direct manner.
I Hope Future Equalizer Movies Go Back To The No Guns Approach
McCall should use TWO corkscrews next time
I don’t mind action movies using firearms, butThe Equalizeravoiding them whenever possible added spiceto their setpieces. PresumingThe Equalizer 4moves aheadand McCall has healed from his injuries, I’d love to see the fourth entry embrace the “no gun” approach again.
Outside of the prologue, the third film lacked a truly epic action sequence or the thrill of seeing McCall walk into a room, scan all the objects and put them to creative use.The Equalizer 4needs to return to that same feeling, which means McCall must put the guns down again.
There’s nothing to say McCall couldn’t use a gun occasionally in The Equalizer 4, but seeing him rely on them in the third installment felt against the character introduced in the first film.
The Equalizer 3was, in part, about McCall fighting against his darker impulses, and in the end, he seems to have come out on top. There’s nothing to say the charactercouldn’tuse a gun occasionally next time, but seeing him rely on them in the third installment felt against the character introduced in the first film.
I want to seeThe Equalizerreturn to its unique approach to action, but again, this will come down to Washington’s willingness to perform the fight scenes. Still, considering most of his foes just walk right up to him, maybe all McCall needs to do is put on a pair of knuckledusters and let them do the busy work.
Source: MTV/Screen Rant,AOBG
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is a crime-focused action-thriller franchise initially created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. The franchise began with the 1985 series that followed Robert McCall, a retired intelligence agent who uses his deadly and varied skillset to help those that society cannot save. The film franchise has stood out as the most iconic, with Denzel Washington in the role of the new Robert McCall, with a reboot television series starring Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall.
Cast
The Equalizer is an action thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua starring Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a former intelligence operative who lives a quiet life in Boston. When he encounters a young girl named Teri, played by Chloë Grace Moretz, threatened by violent Russian gangsters, McCall comes out of retirement to use his skills to restore justice. The film reimagines the 1980s TV series of the same name.
