I understand why The Equalizer series pulled back on McCall’s “no gun” rule, but I still think this was a mistake. The Equalizer franchise is 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’s ending saw Washington’s McCall retiring from his equalizing ways and settling down in a small Italian town. It also found McCall recovering from a gunsH๏τ 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 from The Equalizer 3’s opening. Not only does he use them to dispatch the henchmen of a violent mobster, he shoots said mobster in the ᴀss with a sH๏τgun in an uncharacteristically sadistic move.

This is in contrast to the original Equalizer, 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 sets The Equalizer apart from other action franchises like John Wick is that McCall largely eschews guns completely. 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.

The only time he uses a machine gun, for example, is in The Equalizer 2 when 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 2014 MTV article (via Screen Rant), Washington and director Antoine Fuqua discussed McCall’s reluctance to use a firearm. He’s labeled “anti-gun” during the chat, and Fuqua 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 to AOBG, Washington’s McCall kills close to 40 people in The 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 sH๏τ 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.

It’s not like the third outing features constant shootouts, but the lack of a standout physical fight, combined with McCall solving most of his issues with firearms, sets it apart from the previous Equalizers. 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, so it’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, but The Equalizer avoiding them whenever possible added spice to their setpieces. Presuming The Equalizer 4 moves ahead and 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 4 needs to return to that same feeling, which means McCall must put the guns down again.

The Equalizer 3 was, 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 character couldn’t use 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 see The Equalizer return 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