The Equalizer 3 appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Across the board, this was an appealing transfer.
Sharpness looked strong. Virtually no softness appeared, so this gave us a tight, well-defined image.
Jagged edges and moiré effects remained absent, while edge haloes also failed to appear. Print flaws stayed absent as well.
Equalizer 3 opted for a somewhat low-key mix of amber and teal. I felt happy the palette didn’t go cartoony and thought the image reproduced the colors appropriately.
Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows showed nice clarity and smoothness. I thought this was a consistently terrific image.
I also felt pleased with the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. With a fair amount of action on display, the mix used the channels in an involving manner throughout much of the film.
This meant gunfire and other mayhem all around the room, and the elements connected in a concise, smooth manner. Add to that music as a bold participant and the soundscape turned into an aggressive partner.
Audio quality always satisfied. Music was dynamic and full, and effects followed suit, so those components came across as accurate and well-developed.
Speech seemed distinctive and crisp, without edginess or other issues. Everything impressed in this quality soundtrack.
Five featurettes appear, and Blood Brothers runs six minutes, 30 seconds. It delivers comments from director Antoine Fuqua, producers Clayton Townsend, Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal, and actors Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Gaia Scodellaro, and Andrea Scarduzio.
“Blood” examines the long-time collaborative relationship between Fuqua and Washington as well as their strengths. Inevitably, this leads to a lot of happy talk, though I like the handful of shots that feature Fuqua and Washington as they chat together.
Call to Action spans six minutes, three seconds. It comes with info from Fuqua, Washington, Blumenthal, Townsend, Black, stunt coordinator Liang Yang and cinematographer Robert Richardson.
As implied by the title, “Call” views the movie’s stunts and action. It brings a mix of facts and fluff.
Next comes A Man of the People. During this six-minute, 33-second reel, we hear from Fuqua, Fanning, Washington, Scodellaro, Black, Blumenthal, screenwriter Richard Wenk and actor Eugenio Mastrandrea.
During “Man”, we learn about the McCall character and his expansion in this movie. Not much of substance emerges.
A Reunion goes for five minutes, six seconds. It features notes from Fanning, Washington, Black, and Fuqua.
Almost 20 years ago, Washington and Fanning co-starred in 2004’s Man on Fire, and this represents their first work together since then. Unfortunately, this doesn’t deliver real insights, so expect more puffery.
Finally, we get the five-minute, 30-second Postcards from the Amalfi Coast. This one offers info from Fuqua, Washington, Fanning, Scodellaro, Townsend, Mastrandrea and actor Remo Girone.
“Coast” looks at the movie’s Italian locations. It feels more like a travel ad than an informative piece.
Nine Deleted Scenes occupy a total of 18 minutes, 22 seconds. At seven minutes, 41 seconds, the longest of the bunch extends the first “date” between McCall and Aminah. While this allows her character more breathing room, it tends to feel superfluous in the greater scheme of the narrative.
A subsequent addition with Aminah and McCall makes their chaste “romance” a little more explicit – meaning a stronger indication they might become a couple. The existing film implies this enough that we don’t need this information.
As for the rest, they tend toward beats related to supporting roles as well as a few minor bits of exposition. None of these prove especially useful.
A lyric video for “Monster” by Jacob Blake concludes the disc. It mixes movie clips with on-screen lyrics to become a forgettable affair.
The disc opens with ads for Gran Turismo, Bullet Train, Big George Foreman, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. No trailer for Equalizer 3 appears here.
While not quite as good as the second film in the series, The Equalizer 3 tops the original. It provides a moderately predictable but nonetheless fairly engaging thriller. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture and audio along with a decent mix of bonus materials. I don’t know if we’ll get an Equalizer 4, but if not, this one finishes the series on a positive note.