Reviews of the Denzel Washington action thriller threequel and Randall Park's Asian-American romcom. Read more at straitstimes.com.
American government assassin Robert McCall has retired to southern Italy when roused back for this vigilante “threequalizer” by the Sicilian Mafia threatening his new friends.
It has a satisfying sense of closure as the trusted collaborators wrap up the nine-year trilogy – The Equalizer originated from a 1950s television series — while reuniting Washington with Man On Fire co-star Dakota Fanning in her role of a Central Intelligence Agency analyst, whose connection to McCall will be revealed in the coda.Remote video URL
This first franchise instalment set abroad romanticises the picturesque village. Veteran cinematographer Robert Richardson does good work. The dazzling coastal sunlight contrasts against the anticipatory anxiety of the night, out of which McCall rises to execute by means of wine bottle, wire, knife, thumb and preternatural reflexes.
The 68-year-old is among the last commanding movie stars. The thrill lies not in the grisly action, but in watching him watch his enemies with a slow-burn gaze during the quiet before the storm.Washington dispenses menace and magnetism alongside feel-good justice in a stylish star vehicle.Sherry Cola as Alice and Justin Min as Ben in Shortcomings.