The Equalizer 3 (4½ Stars)

This is the third and final film in the Equalizer trilogy. Final? The press releases have called it the final film, but nothing happens in the film itself that can be interpreted as closure. The only reason to stop is that the actor Denzel Washington is 68, which is rather old for an action hero. The films have been made at four-year intervals, so the question is, can he still make action films when he's 72?

Robert McCall is in Sicily doing a favour for a friend. This favour involves killing a crime boss and all of his men. He escapes unscathed, but he's shot in the back by the crime boss's underage son. He drives away, but falls unconscious at the roadside in Naples. A policeman carries him to Enzo, a local doctor who cures him in his own house without asking questions, except for one. He asks Robert if he's just saved a good man or a bad man. Robert replies that he doesn't know, which reassures Enzo. He says that only a good man would give such an answer.

Robert needs time to recover, so he settles into the (fictional) town of Altamonte. He doesn't get involved, but he watches everything going on. He sees the Camorra collecting protection money from local shopkeepers. But the Camorra has bigger plans. They want to build large hotels and casinos. They're killing anyone who refuses to sell their property. The police are helpless to stop them.

The only one who can fight back is Robert McCall, when he finally recovers from his injuries.

I never saw the original television series, on which the films are based, but in the films Robert McCall is the coolest killer imaginable. He's always relaxed and laid back, talking calmly to his enemies. He's like a rattlesnake, holding back until he strikes without mercy.

The Mafia and the Camorra are regularly in the real world news. Organised crime is a difficult enemy for politicians and the police. We need a Robert McCall.