Loosely based on a TV series that first premiered on CBS back in the 1980s, the 2014 big-screen adaptation ofThe Equalizerstarring Denzel Washington did an excellent job at retelling the action-packed tale of the infamous retired DIA agent. TheMan on Fireactor was praised for his sturdiness in the role, and fans welcomed theslower pace of the action movieand hard-hitting payoffs.
Because of the film’s success (who doesn’t like a good nail gun death scene?), a sequel was released in 2018, which saw Washington’s Robert McCall take on his own former team. With Pedro Pascal playing the antagonist and the faceoff taking place in a drenched seaside town, this film had the same impact as the first, if not more. It’s unsurprising that in January 2022,The Equalizer 3was announced, which would see the titular character bring his kind of vigilante violence to Altamonte, Italy.
When the fire alarm systems were set off in Home Mart (that is, in the first movie) by an exploding microwave, the sprinkler systems on the ceiling simulated a heavy downfall and activated McCall’s fury. In the most recent theatrical release, just as the ex-Marine invades Vincent’s (the primary mafioso) home, the sky gets dark, the winds roll in, and thunder rumbles. Where McCall seems to go, a storm seems to always follow. But in all honesty, is it that simple? Or is there a deeper meaning beyond the sky mirroring a gunman looking for justice?
The Symbolism Behind the Storms in The Equalizer
The Equalizer 3
As seen in every entry ofThe Equalizer, McCall is troubled with his identity. He hesitates to take down a robber in Home Mart with his skills because he wants to desperately keep those two worlds separate. In the follow-up, he goes to his friend Susan for permission to bring hisviolent side back. In the 2023 edition, when Enzo, the doctor, asks McCall if he saved a good or bad man, the injured titular character cannot answer.
These sequences show how McCallquestions his own moralityand principles. In all three films, ambiguity is always present. Yet, he does allow himself to resort to those violent tendencies when he feels like it is needed. He wants his ghost to stay in the past, but sometimes it’s impossible. This is where the foreboding rain comes in.
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The Equalizer 3’s Robert McCall lives in a new world overseas, which does not include other characters from the film series.
While viewers may agree that these weather-related details embody a proverbial coming of the storm,The Equalizer 3does a perfect job of clarifying the symbolism even more. Just as the lead invades the high-ranking mafioso’s home, a religious parade marches through the streets of Altamonte – unaware of the main character’s onslaught. Side by side, these scenes provide answers.
In Catholicism, baptism is the process of redefining and introducing oneself into the religion by sprinkling (or pouring) water onto one’s forehead. Even though children are usually involved in the ceremony, it is becoming increasingly common to see older people baptized as well. As cinema likes to imitate and interpret life, this religious event shows what’s happening in the mind and spirit asWashington’s time as Robert McCall likely ends.
The Equalizer Is a Baptism of Violence
This all-encompassing precipitation seemingly has a turnkey effect on our main protagonist, bringing forth the government operative. As a baptism sometimes takes place in the natural waters of the ocean, the same takes place here but with water from the sky. He is spiritually regenerated and now driven with a goal in mind. There is a reason why the enemy from every movie pleadingly asks about his identity, or at the very least, his name. This cinematic formality goes hand in hand with a saint’s name being bestowed upon the personreceiving this religious sacrament.
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Whether the producers and creators behindThe Equalizermovies wanted this storytelling trend to be analyzed this far is up for debate, but this symbolic gesture was initially spotlighted in the first movie’s officially designed poster with Washington’s character shrouded by the rain.
The Equalizer
With all of this being said, it is evident that the character of Robert McCall is obviously not being baptized in the name of a religious belief. In every single entry ofThe Equalizersaga, he is instead initiating himself into cold acts of violence. Not because he wants to but because he has to in order to defend others.The Equalizer 3is currently streaming on Netflix.
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