The Equalizer (R)

R. 1hr 49 min. Since  giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel  Washington) has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he's done in  the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the  oppressed. Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he  discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses.  As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his  friends' protector by taking on the mafia.

Adam Graham. Detroit News:  ""The  Threequalizer" is easily the best entry in the series, and Washington's  best work in the action space in more than a decade. Consider it a  relaxing vacation with a side order of violence."

Peter Travers  ABC News:  "Ignore  the many problems in this violent revenge thriller and focus on the  power and charisma of Denzel Washington who ends the third and final  chapter in his Equalizer trilogy on a euphoric high. He’s a star, baby,  and him you don’t want to miss."

Kyle  Smith  Wall Street Journal:  "For those who can tolerate extreme  violence, The Equalizer 3 is diverting enough. If the script is so-so,  the beautiful Italian locations, Mr. Washington’s still-world-class  charm and an eerie, frightening musical score by Marcelo Zarvos lift  it."

Manohla Dargis  New York Times:  "This installment is as reliably watchable if ethically challenged as the previous ones."

ROTTEN TOMATOES TOMATOMETER SCORE:   75%