Brief Story Line
After one of his "operation" in Sicily, Italy, former DIA agent Robert McCall (Denzel Washington - Flight, The Taking of Pelham 123 etc) was brought to a small town of Altamonte by local police Gio Bonucci (Eugenio Mastrandrea - From Scratch TV series etc) where he was treated by Doctor Enzo (Remo Girone - Live by Night etc) for his wounds. While taking the time to heal himself, McCall grew fond of the town and became quite close with the people. Unfortunately his peaceful time was interrupted with the mafia led by brothers Vincent (Andrea Scarduzio) and Marco (Andrea Dodero) who had plans for Altamonte and started terrorizing them.
Meanwhile McCall also informed what he found in Sicily to the CIA officer Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, War of the Worlds etc) who after further investigations found the operation to be having larger agenda.
So how would the story conclude? You could find out in this movie.
End of Brief Story Line
Well once again Denzel Washington managed to sway audience with his charm and characterization of the kind hearted vigilante who was always willing to help the oppressed by using his specific abilities and experience. When we watched the movie, there was a feel of conclusion as it was said to be the final of trilogy (although we cannot be absolutely certain with the way Hollywood keep on releasing sequels after sequels). Which was why the story seemed to hint McCall wanting to retire in the beautiful small town he was stranded in. But like in any other stories, he had to fight another battle with the bad guys to safe the people.
One different factor here was the appearance of CIA officer Collins instead of McCall's contact persons in the second and first movie. Oh there was a brief flashback scene from the previous films that seemed random but apparently have a bit of significance. It did not really have any impact on the story, just some small piece of information that might give clearance to those who have seen the previous movies.
The thing that I liked of the movie was definitely the action. Although they were even rarer than its predecessors but were similarly violent and well executed. It truly amazed me as Denzel Washington is already in his late 60s but still got the moves (then again some Hollywood senior actors seemed to be very fit and agile for their age). Another factor that my wife and I enjoyed was definitely the beautiful scenery of the coastal town in Italy and few brief scenes in Rome which brought us some fond memories of our time there last month. Even looking at the coffee shop and listening to the people converse in Italian already made us delighted. Fun fact: Altamonte was actually a fictional town while the shooting was done in Amalfi coast.
Aside from Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning (who were reunited after their movie Man of Fire back in 2004), there was another actor that I have seen before David Denman (Mare of Easttown Mini Series, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi etc), but other than him the rest were unfamiliar to me. The movie was once again directed by Antoine Fuqua which certainly helped in making sure the style was still the same. Oh, the duration was only 109 minutes, the shortest in the trilogy.
Overall this was a movie that likely would be better appreciated if you had seen the 1st and 2nd films. Although it was said to be the final one but the ending to me did not exactly scream a real conclusion for the character of Robert McCall and it felt like something could still be created in future should they decide to make another one. Plus critics seemed to appreciate this and it was quite a commercial success as well. Even Fuqua looked to be open to the possibility for future installment if Denzel is willing. So if you like the previous movies, I think you would like this one too. And though my wife and I were quite entertained, but we wished for more of those stylish fights scenes to satisfy us.
Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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