Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dakota Fanning about her work on ‘Vicious’, her first reaction to the screenplay and her character, the unusual gift and news her character receives, how she would react to that choice in real life, and the challenges of acting alone.
Dakota Fanning stars in ‘Vicious.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Dakota Fanning stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Vicious.’
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of this character that you were excited to explore on screen?
Dakota Fannig: Well, when I first read it, I was very struck by the challenge of it all. I knew that it would be a very physically and emotionally demanding experience. I felt like I hadn’t properly gotten to dive into a pure horror film, which I felt like this would really be that. Brian is obviously very skilled and prolific in that genre. So, I knew that I could trust him. Talking with him, I knew that the creative collaboration between us would be wonderful, and it was. So, I just felt like it was something that I hadn’t done before, and I thought, why not give it a try?
Dakota Fanning stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Vicious.’
MF: Can you talk about Polly’s reaction to receiving this gift and the news about her future that comes with it, and how do you think you would react in real life if given the same information?
DF: Oh, my gosh, I don’t know. I don’t know that I would have gotten myself into the predicament that Polly did. If people ring my door, or ring my gate, I just pretend I’m not home. So, I don’t know. But, that moment of her receiving the mysterious gift is the beginning of this kind of psychological battle that she ends up having with herself. When I first read the script and was thinking about it and thinking about like what would keep me grounded in this experience, I remembered I had this dream once that was a truly lucid dream where I woke up in the morning and didn’t know if it had been real or not. It took place in my apartment, and I woke up and was like, “I’ve lost my mind”. You know what I mean? I really had one of those moments. It was crazy. So, that was my inspiration for this was the feeling that dream had given me. I feel like Polly is locked in that feeling throughout the whole film. That’s a scary thing when the thing that is scaring you the most is yourself and your own thoughts. So, that was what I leaned into when I was making it. That would keep me grounded when things would get out of control, or I was trying to find something to hold onto. I would remember that crazy, scary dream that I had, and I’d go back into that feeling.
Dakota Fanning stars in Paramount Pictures’ ‘Vicious.’
MF: Finally, you spend a lot of the movie acting by yourself. Can you talk about the challenges of that and were you super excited on the few days when you did have a scene partner?
DF: Yes, I was thrilled when there were other people to act with for sure. They’re obviously super important moments that involve other actors. But for the majority at the time, I am alone. I knew that would be something different, a challenge and something that I hadn’t done before. Even though I developed such a strong rapport with the crew and with Brian and with Tristan (Nyby), the DP and so I never felt alone. I always felt like I had a collaborative support system around me and they may not have always been actors, but they were creative people, and we were all there on the same journey. So, even though I maybe looked alone, I never really felt alone. I always felt like I had them there to collaborate with. So that was nice.
‘Vicious’ will premiere on Paramount+ beginning October 10th.
What is the plot of ‘Vicious’?
A young woman (Dakota Fanning) must spend the night fighting for her existence as she slips down a disturbing rabbit hole contained inside a mysterious gift from a late-night visitor (Kathryn Hunter).
His new film, ‘Highest 2 Lowest‘, which reunites him with longtime collaborator director Spike Lee, opens in theaters on August 15th before being available to stream on Apple TV+ on September 5th.
In honor of ‘Highest 2 Lowest’s release, Moviefone is counting down the 45 best movies of Denzel Washington’s incredibly impressive acting career, including his latest.
Denzel Washington as Joe “Deke” Deacon in ‘The Little Things’ from Warner Bros. Pictures.
Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (Washington) joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter (Rami Malek) to search for a serial killer who’s terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke’s past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.
A sailor (Derek Luke) prone to violent outbursts is sent to a naval psychiatrist for help. Refusing at first to open up, the young man eventually breaks down and reveals a horrific childhood. Through the guidance of his doctor (Washington), he confronts his painful past and begins a quest to find the family he never knew.
A DEA agent (Washington) and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer (Mark Wahlberg) who have been tasked with investigating one another find they have been set up by the mob — the very organization the two men believe they have been stealing money from.
The secret US abduction of a suspected terrorist from his Middle East homeland leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York. An FBI senior agent (Washington) and his team attempt to locate and decommission the enemy cells, but must also deal with an Army General (Bruce Willis) gone rogue and a female CIA agent (Annette Bening) of uncertain loyalties.
Called in to recover evidence in the aftermath of a horrific explosion on a New Orleans ferry, Federal agent Doug Carlin (Washington) gets pulled away from the scene and taken to a top-secret government lab that uses a time-shifting surveillance device to help prevent crime.
(L to R) Denzel Washington and Eva Mendes in ‘Out of Time’. Photo: MGM.
Matt Lee Whitlock (Washington), respected chief of police in small Banyan Key, Florida, must solve a vicious double homicide before he himself falls under suspicion. Matt Lee has to stay a few steps ahead of his own police force and everyone he’s trusted in order to find out the truth.
In this Shakespearean farce, Hero (Kate Beckinsale) and her groom-to-be, Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), team up with Claudio’s commanding officer, Don Pedro (Washington), the week before their wedding to hatch a matchmaking scheme. Their targets are sharp-witted duo Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson) — a tough task indeed, considering their corresponding distaste for love and each other. Meanwhile, meddling Don John (Keanu Reeves) plots to ruin the wedding.
Homicide detective John Hobbes (Washington) witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas). Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese’s style.
An Indian family is expelled from Uganda when Idi Amin takes power. They move to Mississippi and time passes. The Indian daughter (Sarita Choudhury) falls in love with a black man (Washington), and the respective families have to come to terms with it.
The Law Enforcement Technology Advancement Centre (LETAC) has developed SID version 6.7 (Russell Crowe): a Sadistic, Intelligent, and Dangerous virtual reality entity which is synthesized from the personalities of more than 150 serial killers, and only one man can stop him.
Denzel Washington in ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Hard-nosed liberal lawyer Roman J. Israel (Washington) has been fighting the good fight forever while others take the credit. When his partner – the firm’s frontman – has a heart attack, Israel suddenly takes on that role. He soon discovers some unsettling truths about the firm – truths that conflict with his values of helping the poor and dispossessed – and finds himself in an existential crisis that leads to extreme actions.
In a rural town in Louisiana, a black Master Sergeant is found shot to death just outside the local Army Base. Military lawyer, Captain Davenport (Howard E. Rollins Jr.)—also a black man—is sent from Washington to conduct an investigation. Facing an uncooperative chain of command and fearful black troops, Davenport must battle with deceit and prejudice in order to find out exactly who really did kill the Master Sergeant.
A US Army officer (Washington), who made a “friendly fire” mistake that was covered up, has been reassigned to a desk job. He is tasked to investigate a female chopper commander’s (Meg Ryan) worthiness to be awarded the Medal of Honor. At first all seems in order. But then he begins to notice inconsistencies between the testimonies of the witnesses…
Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gillian (Washington) is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo (Joie Lee) and Clarke (Cynda Williams). But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend (Spike Lee), Bleek finds his world more fragile that he ever imagined.
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Joel Coen comes the propulsive, boldly cinematic ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth,’ starring Oscar-winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as the devious, ill-fated Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. An original, striking reimagining of the classic Shakespearean tale portrayed in sumptuous black-and-white cinematography, ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ finds the titular general and his loyal wife older and warier, desperately striving against a merciless ticking clock as they attempt to seize upon a final opportunity for power. In the chaos that ensues, their grasp on the throne unravels, terror mounts and regret enshrouds every inch of their wretched world. Co-starring Kathryn Hunter, Corey Hawkins, Moses Ingram, Brendan Gleeson, Harry Melling and Bertie Carvel.
Denzel Washington in ‘John Q’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
John Quincy Archibald (Washington) is a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it. Therefore, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage until the hospital puts his son’s name on the donor’s list.
A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man (Washington) fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.
Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he’s managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober — but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.
(L to R) Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in ‘The Bone Collector’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Rookie cop, Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) reluctantly teams with Lincoln Rhyme (Washington) – formerly the department’s top homicide detective but now paralyzed as a result of a spinal injury – to catch a grisly serial killer dubbed ‘The Bone Collector’. The murderer’s special signature is to leave tantalizing clues based on the grim remains of his crimes.
A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods (Kevin Kline) is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko (Washington), a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus (Russell Crowe) at the hands of his uncle (Joaquin Phoenix), Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Two competing lawyers (Tom Hanks and Washington) join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.
Robert McCall (Washington) believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.
2016’s ‘The Magnificent Seven’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Looking to mine for gold, greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) seizes control of the Old West town of Rose Creek. With their lives in jeopardy, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) and other desperate residents turn to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Washington) for help. Chisolm recruits an eclectic group of gunslingers to take on Bogue and his ruthless henchmen. With a deadly showdown on the horizon, the seven mercenaries soon find themselves fighting for more than just money once the bullets start to fly.
A runaway train, transporting deadly, toxic chemicals, is barreling down on Stanton, Pennsylvania, and proves to be unstoppable until a veteran engineer (Washington) and young conductor (Chris Pine) risk their lives to try and stop it with a switch engine.
Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One lone law student (Julia Roberts) has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist (Washington) wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.
After the Cold War, a breakaway Russian republic with nuclear warheads becomes a possible worldwide threat. U.S. submarine Capt. Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) signs on a relatively green but highly recommended Lt. Cmdr. Ron Hunter (Washington) to the USS Alabama, which may be the only ship able to stop a possible Armageddon. When Ramsay insists that the Alabama must act aggressively, Hunter, fearing they will start rather than stop a disaster, leads a potential mutiny to stop him.
In 1950s Pittsburgh, a frustrated African-American father (Washington) struggles with the constraints of poverty, racism, and his own inner demons as he tries to raise a family.
Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo by: Stefano Montesi.
Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (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.
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day’s work for dispatcher Walter Garber (Washington) into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
A dangerous CIA renegade (Washington) resurfaces after a decade on the run. When the safe house he’s remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative (Ryan Reynolds) escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.
Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) leads the US Civil War’s first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone (Washington) – who is tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
Denzel Washington in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’. Photo Credit: David Lee.
When a titan music mogul (Washington), widely known as having the “best ears in the business”, is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
The story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter (Washington), a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.
In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins (Washington) is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright (Tom Sizemore), a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals), who he suspects is hiding out in one of the city’s black jazz clubs. Strapped for money and facing house payments, Easy takes the job, but soon finds himself in over his head.
Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson (Clarence Williams III), Frank Lucas (Washington) establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. Partly based on a true story.
Robert McCall (Washington), who serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, embarks on a relentless, globe-trotting quest for vengeance when a long-time friend (Melissa Leo) is murdered.
Denzel Washington in ‘Man on Fire’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Jaded ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Washington) reluctantly accepts a job as the bodyguard for a 10-year-old girl (Dakota Fanning) in Mexico City. They clash at first, but eventually bond, and when she’s kidnapped he’s consumed by fury and will stop at nothing to save her life.
When an armed, masked gang (led by Clive Owen) enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective (Washington) assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing.
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader (played by Washington) of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the ’50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Police chief Xavier Quinn (Washington) investigates the gruesome murder of Donald Pater, one of the wealthiest residents on a Caribbean island. He was found decapitated in his Jacuzzi. Although the local political establishment, especially crooked Governor Chalk (Norman Beaton), insists that small-time thief Maubee (Robert Townsend) is responsible, Xavier has his doubts. This view is complicated by the police chief’s personal history with Maubee: The men have been friends since childhood.
Answer: They are all movies based on popular TV programs!
Whether it’s a continuation of the original series like ‘The X-Files‘ or ‘The Simpsons Movie,’ or a remake of the show such as ‘The Fugitive‘ or ‘Miami Vice,’ Hollywood has long enjoyed success from adapting popular television programs into feature films.
In honor of ‘The Fall Guy,’ which is currently available to stream now at home, Moviefone is counting down the 30 best movies based on TV programs of all time.
NOTE: For this list we are including both movies that are remakes of TV shows featuring a new cast, as well as films that continue the story of the series with the original cast.
(L to R) Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia in ‘The Addams Family’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
When a man claiming to be long-lost Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) reappears after 25 years lost, the family plans a celebration to wake the dead. But the kids barely have time to warm up the electric chair before Morticia (Anjelica Huston) begins to suspect Fester is fraud when he can’t recall any of the details of Fester’s life.
(L to R) Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 and Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart in ‘Get Smart.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
When the identities of secret agents from Control are compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) promotes hapless but eager analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carrell) and teams him with stylish, capable Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), the only spy whose cover remains intact. Can they work together to thwart the evil plans of KAOS and its crafty operative?
(L to R) Mimi Rogers, Lacey Chabert, William Hurt and Heather Graham in 1998’s ‘Lost in Space’.
The prospects for continuing life on Earth in the year 2058 are grim. So the Robinsons (William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert and Jack Johnson) are launched into space to colonize Alpha Prime, the only other inhabitable planet in the galaxy. But when a stowaway (Gary Oldman) sabotages the mission, the Robinsons find themselves hurtling through uncharted space.
(L to R) Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in ’21 Jump Street’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
In high school, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) was a dork and Jenko (Channing Tatum) was the popular jock. After graduation, both of them joined the police force and ended up as partners riding bicycles in the city park. Since they are young and look like high school students, they are assigned to an undercover unit to infiltrate a drug ring that is supplying high school students synthetic drugs.
(L to R) Alice Krige as the Borg Queen and Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard in ‘Star Trek: First Contact.’ Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.
(L to R) Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore in 2000’s ‘Charlie’s Angels’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Three women (Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu), detectives with a mysterious boss, retrieve stolen voice-ID software, using martial arts, tech skills, and sex appeal.
(L to R) Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks in 1987’s ‘Dragnet’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
LAPD Sgt. Joe Friday (Dan Aykroyd) — the equally straight-laced nephew of the famous police sergeant of the same name (Jack Webb) — is paired up with a young, freewheeling detective named Pep Streebeck (Tom Hanks). After investigating some strange robberies at the local zoo and the theft of a stockpile of pornographic magazines, they uncover cult activity in the heart of the city and are hot on the case to figure out who’s behind it all.
(L to R) Harry Dean Stanton and Kyle MacLachlan in 1992’s ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
In the questionable town of Deer Meadow, Washington, FBI Agent Desmond (Chris Isaak) inexplicably disappears while hunting for the man who murdered a teen girl. The killer is never apprehended, and, after experiencing dark visions and supernatural encounters, Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) chillingly predicts that the culprit will claim another life. Meanwhile, in the more cozy town of Twin Peaks, hedonistic beauty Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) hangs with lowlifes and seems destined for a grisly fate.
(L to R) Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘Sex and the City’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures. Sarah Jessica Parker Kim Cattrall Kristin Davis Cynthia Nixon
(L to R) Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer in film ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,’ directed by Guy Ritchie.
At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Arie Hammer) are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. The duo’s only lead is the daughter (Alicia Vikander) of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.
When the four boys see an R-rated movie featuring Canadians Terrance and Philip, they are pronounced “corrupted”, and their parents pressure the United States to wage war against Canada.
2002’s ‘Jackass: The Movie’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Johnny Knoxville and his band of maniacs perform a variety of stunts and gross-out gags on the big screen for the first time. They wander around Japan in panda outfits, wreak havoc on a once civilized golf course, they even do stunts involving LIVE alligators, and so on.
Kristen Bell in 2014’s ‘Veronica Mars’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) gets pulled back to her hometown – just in time for her high school reunion – in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), who’s embroiled in a murder mystery.
(L to R) Mel Gibson, James Garner and Jodie Foster in ‘Maverick’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Maverick (Mel Gibson) is a gambler who would rather con someone than fight them, and needs an additional three thousand dollars in order to enter a winner-takes-all poker game that begins in a few days, so he joins forces with a woman gambler (Jodie Foster) with a marvellous southern accent, and the two try and enter the game.
The adventures of two amiably aimless metal-head friends, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey). From Wayne’s basement, the pair broadcast a talk-show called “Wayne’s World” on local public access television. The show comes to the attention of a sleazy network executive (Rob Lowe) who wants to produce a big-budget version of “Wayne’s World”—and he also wants Wayne’s girlfriend, a rock singer named Cassandra (Tia Carrere). Wayne and Garth have to battle the executive not only to save their show, but also Cassandra.
(L to R) Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck in ‘State of Play’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
When a congressional aide is killed, a Washington, D.C. journalist (Russell Crowe) starts investigating the case involving the Representative (Ben Affleck), his old college friend.
Leslie Nielsen in ‘The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
When the incompetent Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) seeks the ruthless killer of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II (Jeannette Charles).
(L to R) Colin Farrell as Detective James ‘Sonny’ Crockett and Jamie Foxx as Detective Ricardo ‘Rico’ Tubbs in ‘Miami Vice.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
A case involving drug lords and murder in South Florida takes a personal turn for undercover detectives Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx). Unorthodox Crockett gets involved romantically with the Chinese-Cuban wife (Gong Li) of a trafficker of arms and drugs, while Tubbs deals with an assault on those he loves.
(L to R) David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in 1998’s ‘The X-Files’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson), now taken off the FBI’s X Files cases, must find a way to fight the shadowy elements of the government to find out the truth about a conspiracy that might mean the alien colonization of Earth.
A gruesome serial killer (Andy Serkis) is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther (Idris Elba) sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary.
He’s a stuntman (Ryan Gosling), and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love (Emily Blunt) of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right?
2007’s ‘The Simpsons Movie’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
After Homer (Dan Castellaneta) accidentally pollutes the town’s water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpsons are declared fugitives.
(L to R) Liam Neeson, Sharlto Copley, Quinton Jackson and Bradley Cooper in ‘The A-Team’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
A group of Iraq War veterans goes on the run from U.S. military forces while they try to clear their names after being framed for a crime they didn’t commit. Along the way, Col. Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), Capt. H.M. ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock (Sharlto Copley), Sgt. Bosco ‘B.A.’ Baracus (Quinton Jackson), and Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck (Bradley Cooper) help out various people they encounter.
(L to R) Ray Winstone, Hayley Atwell and Plan B in 2012’s ‘The Sweeney’. Photo: Entertainment One.
Jack Regan (Ray Winstone), a hardened cop who doesn’t play by the rules, is confronted with a criminal from his past. With sidekick George Carter (Ben Drew) they are put on the case of a jewellery store heist that ends in a killing. But is that killing really an execution in disguise? With pressure from his boss (Steven Mackintosh) and the fact that Regan is having an affair with that boss’s wife (Hayley Atwell), it’s not going to be easy for him to stay out of trouble.
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.
A Hollywood agent persuades Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) to pursue a career in Hollywood. On his way there he meets his future muppet crew while being chased by the desperate owner of a frog-leg restaurant!
(L to R) William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy in ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
It is the 23rd century. The Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) seems resigned to the fact that this inspection may well be the last space mission of his career. But Khan (Ricardo Montalban) is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan – brilliant renegade of 20th century Earth – has raided Space Station Regula One, stolen a top secret device called Project Genesis, wrested control of another Federation Starship and sets out in pursuit of the Enterprise, determined to let nothing stand in the way of his mission: kill Admiral Kirk… even if it means universal Armageddon.
Harrison Ford in ‘The Fugitive’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.
Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
When Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he’s surprised to learn that he’s the No. 1 suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 2’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Preview:
Denzel Washington says he’ll appear in two more ‘Equalizer’ movies.
Director Antoine Fuqua has yet to be confirmed.
The apparent movies don’t yet have release dates.
Denzel Washington is busy enjoying the acclaim that his scene-stealing (and, at times, movie-stealing) performance in ‘Gladiator II’ is generating, and he’s also been out and about promoting the movie.
He’s certainly generating headlines with some of his statements, including revealing that Ryan Coogler is writing a role for him in a future ‘Black Panther’ movie (albeit one we don’t even know formally exists yet).
And he’s not done –– in a recent interview he also dropped word that he’ll be back for more ‘Equalizer’ movies.
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Of course, we have to caution here that Washington is having a lot of fun on the press tour and proclaiming that he only has a few movies left (at least as an actor) before he retires. And Sony has yet to say anything official about a potential return to the ‘Equalizer’ films.
Washington stars as Robert McCall, a former special service commando who faked his own death in hopes of living out a quiet life.
Instead, he comes out of his self-imposed retirement to save a young girl and finds his desire for justice reawakened after coming face-to-face with members of a brutal Russian gang. McCall becomes the go-to man when the helpless require the kind of vengeance they would never find without his skills.
Across the next two movies, he faces off against more threats, including the Mafia.
Denzel Washington on the future of the ‘Equalizer’ franchise
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) watches Vincent crawl down his stairs in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
“I told them I would do another ‘Equalizer,’ and we’re doing four and five. More people are happy about that –– people love those daggone ‘Equalizers.’ But I’ve come to realize that the ‘Equalizer’ films are for me, too, because they’re for the people. They want me to go get the bad guys. ‘We can’t get them, so you go get them.’ And I say, Okay, I’ll get them! Just wait right there. I’ll be right back!”
The movies have certainly been successful, but now we’ll wait and see what Fuqua and the studio have to say.
When would the next ‘Equalizer’ be in theaters?
While Washington is certainly someone who should know about the future of the ‘Equalizer’ franchise since he’s, you know, the Equalizer himself, the lack of confirmation means we couldn’t even guess at when one potential new movie would arrive, let alone two.
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
Her new film, ‘The Watchers‘ opens in theaters on June 7th and was written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, the daughter of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan.
In honor of the new film, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best movies of Dakota Fanning’s career, including her latest.
A scene from 2018’s ‘Ocean’s 8.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), a criminal mastermind, gathers a crew of female thieves to pull off the heist of the century at New York’s annual Met Gala.
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens (Fanning) a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother’s past.
Wilbur (Dominic Scott Kay) the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte (Julia Roberts), a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.
Forks, Washington resident Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is reeling from the departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and finds comfort in her friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a werewolf. But before she knows it, she’s thrust into a centuries-old conflict, and her desire to be with Edward at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.
A newly married couple (Fanning and Theo James) are forced to navigate the all-consuming interest of a powerful, mysterious, and possessive philanthropist.
(L to R) Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning in director Steven Spielberg’s ‘War of the Worlds.’ Photo: Dreamworks/Paramount.
Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) and her new husband drop off his teenage son (Justin Chatwin) and young daughter (Fanning) for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
After the birth of Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.
Errol Flynn (Kevin Kline), the swashbuckling Hollywood star and notorious ladies man, flouted convention all his life, but never more brazenly than in his last years when, swimming in vodka and unwilling to face his mortality, he undertook a liaison with an aspiring actress, Beverly Aadland (Fanning). The two had a high-flying affair that spanned the globe and was enabled by the girl’s fame-obsessed mother, Florence. It all came crashing to an end in October 1959, when events forced the relationship into the open, sparking an avalanche of publicity castigating Beverly and her mother (Susan Sarandon) – which only fed Florence’s need to stay in the spotlight.
Set in postwar America, a man (Ewan McGregor) watches his seemingly perfect life fall apart as his daughter’s (Fanning) new political affiliation threatens to destroy their family.
Molly Gunn (Brittany Murphy), the freewheeling daughter of a deceased rock legend, is forced to get a job when her manager steals her money. As nanny for precocious Ray (Fanning), the oft ignored daughter of a music executive she learns what it means to be an adult while teaching Ray how to be a child.
When 28-year-old artist Mina (Fanning) finds shelter after getting stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.
During a rainy day, and while their mother is out, Conrad (Spencer Breslin) and Sally (Fanning), and their pet fish, are visited by the mischievous Cat in the Hat (Mike Myers). Fun soon turns to mayhem, and the siblings must figure out how to rid themselves of the maniacal Cat.
After his father, an assassin, is brutally murdered, Nick Gant (Chris Evans) vows revenge on Division, the covert government agency that dabbles in psychic warfare and experimental drugs. Hiding in Hong Kong’s underworld, Nick assembles a band of rogue psychics dedicated to destroying Division. Together with Cassie (Fanning), a teenage clairvoyant, Nick goes in search of a missing girl and a stolen suitcase that could be the key to accomplishing their mutual goal.
David Callaway (Robert De Niro) tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife’s suicide and has been left to raise his nine-year-old daughter, Emily (Fanning) on his own. David is at first amused to discover that Emily has created an imaginary friend named ‘Charlie’, but it isn’t long before ‘Charlie’ develops a sinister and violent side, and as David struggles with his daughter’s growing emotional problems, he comes to the frightening realization that ‘Charlie’ isn’t just a figment of Emily’s imagination.
Emma (Dakota Fanning) reports to Frank what is happening in Italy in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
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.
Sam (Sean Penn), a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy (Fanning) on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam’s limitations as a parent start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. Sam convinces high-priced lawyer Rita (Michelle Pfeiffer) to take his case pro bono and in turn teaches her the value of love and family.
Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Fanning), two rebellious teenagers from Southern California, become the frontwomen for the Runaways — the now-legendary group that paved the way for future generations of female rockers. Under the Svengali-like influence of impresario Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), the band becomes a huge success.
Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha).
(L to R) Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington in director Tony Scott’s ‘Man on Fire.’
Jaded ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Washington) reluctantly accepts a job as the bodyguard for a 10-year-old girl (Fanning) in Mexico City. They clash at first, but eventually bond, and when she’s kidnapped he’s consumed by fury and will stop at nothing to save her life.
Emma (Dakota Fanning) reports to Frank what is happening in Italy in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
Preview:
Dakota Fanning will star in new horror movie ‘Vicious’.
‘The Strangers’ Bryan Bertino is writing and directing.
The movie is scheduled for release in August next year.
Dakota Fanning certainly seems to be in a horror mood of late. She already has the Ishana Night Shyamalan thriller ‘The Watchers’ headed to screens in June, and now, via Variety, the actor will lead the cast of new chiller ‘Vicious’.
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What’s the story of ‘Vicious’?
Fanning will star as a young woman who is left a strange present by a late-night visitor, and quickly realizes she is fighting for her life after slipping down a disturbing rabbit hole contained inside the gift.
Which all makes it sound like a valuable lesson in not accepting gifts from strangers, something every parent drills into their child and, if we’re honest, has been a truth since the days of the Trojan Horse.
The new movie comes from Bryan Bertino, who broke out writing and directing sleeper horror hit ‘The Strangers’ in 2008, which featured other people terrorized in their house by unexpected visitors.
He has had other projects in development, but it appears ‘Vicious’ is jumping to the head of the queue.
‘Vicious’ comes from Paramount Pictures, which has seen success with horror of late, including 2022’s ‘Smile’, which has a sequel on the way this October (so if you see random standing around with creepy grins, you know the promotional campaign has ramped up again) and ‘Pet Sematary: Bloodlines’, which while the prequel to the Stephen King story didn’t get great reviews, it did do well for streaming service Paramount+.
In addition to ‘The Watchers’, Fanning will be seen in the Netflix adaptation of ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’, titled simply ‘Ripley’ (out on April 4th) and ‘The Perfect Couple’, which stars Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber, and will also be on the streaming service, but has yet to announce a date.
And on top of that, she’s busy as a producer through her Llewellyn Pictures company. Projects include a four-part documentary series called ‘Mastermind’ for Hulu, which chronicles the experience of the legendary Dr. Ann Burgess and her trajectory from nurse to criminal profiler for the FBI, an adaptation of ‘Paris: The Memoir’, and TV series ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’, which will star Fanning’s sister Elle.
When will ‘Vicious’ be in theaters?
Paramount has scheduled ‘Vicious’ for an August 8th, 2025 release.
(L to R) Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington on the set of ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.
Director Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington on the set of ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo by: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.
Preview:
Denzel Washington is attached to star in a new film about Hannibal.
It’ll see him re-team with ‘Equalizer’ director Antoine Fuqua.
Netflix is behind the new movie.
With the SAG-AFTRA strike now over (at least pending a vote of the membership), various companies are looking to attach actors to new projects and start generating some buzz around them.
One example is Netflix, which has a new historical epic in the works about Carthaginian general Hannibal, and the streaming service has Denzel Washington in line to star.
Per Deadline, the new movie would mark a reunion for the actor with director Antoine Fuqua, the two used to collaborating on various projects.
What Would the New Hannibal Movie Cover?
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
For those who don’t know the history, Hannibal came over the Alps and attacked Rome from the North, at the time posing the greatest threat to the republic. He was a skilled military tactician who led the troops in what is now Tunisia, not far from Sicily.
His victories during the Second Punic War are legend, and this version of the film will follow the pivotal battles Hannibal led against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.
Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo by: Stefano Montesi.
This is actually not the first time that Washington has been linked to a Hannibal project. Back in 2002, inspired by the success of ‘Gladiator’, 20th Century Fox (as it was then named) developed a Hannibal film and looked to attach Washington to play the famous leader.
At the time, Washington passed on the idea, since it would’ve meant too much time away from his family. But now, with his kids (including actor John David Washington), well established in life, he’s free to spend his time riding elephants and battling Romans.
He may still have competition though –– Vin Diesel has long been obsessed with Hannibal and has wanted to develop a movie about him to star in for almost as long.
Netflix’s version has John Logan –– who wrote ‘Gladiator’ –– aboard to craft the script, so it’s clear the company is looking to go all in on this one. And talking of that Ridley Scott-directed historical epic, Washington is heading back to work on the sequel, which Scott was busy making before the strike hit. ‘Gladiator 2’, depending on how quickly it can be finished, may still arrive in 2024.
What Have Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua Worked on Together?
(L to R) Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua and on the set of ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.
If it all comes to pass, the Hannibal film will mark the sixth time that Washington and Fuqua have collaborated.
They previously teamed for 2001’s ‘Training Day’, for which Washington won a Lead Actor Oscar. That was followed by the first ‘Equalizer’ movie in 2014 and then 2016’s Western remake ‘The Magnificent Seven’.
The last time we saw Robert McCall was in ‘The Equalizer 2,’ facing off against former DIA colleagues Dave York (Pedro Pascal), Kovak, Ari, and Resnik in the midst of a hurricane. McCall realized that he could have walked down the same path of crime but instead chose forgiveness. In the most recent film, Robert McCall has moved to Southern Italy in an attempt to leave his past behind.
Where Can I Watch ‘The Equalizer 3’?
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
‘The Equalizer 3’ was released domestically on September 1, 2023, and is available in standard formats as well as in IMAX. Currently, the movie is still playing in theaters if you want a chance to experience it on the big screen. ‘The Equalizer 3’ has a total runtime of 1 hour and 49 minutes
Watch the official trailer for ‘The Equalizer 3’ below:
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The movie was released on digital on October 6 and is available for purchase for $24.99 or rent for $19.99 on platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, YouTube, and Google Play. No date has been released as to when the movie will arrive on streaming.
Fans can also look forward to 4K UHD, Blu-Ray, and DVD release for the film. While no dates have been announced for the Blu-Ray/DVD release, retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon have the movie listed for pre-order. There will be a steelbook edition as a Best Buy exclusive. Bonus features for the physical release include:
Blood Brothers – The collaboration of Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua.
Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo by: Stefano Montesi.
Although the movie was just released on September 1st, it is already available on digital. Timed with the digital release, the first ten minutes of the film is available for free on IGN’s website. Opening on a Sicilian vineyard, where McCall has already left a path of dead henchmen along the path of the driveway and inside the building. As Lorenzo Vitale ventures inside, he finds Robert sitting calmly on a chair at gunpoint.
“You took something that didn’t belong to you, I’m here to take it back,” McCall says before he hops into action, effortlessly taking down everyone in the room. Critics and audiences reacted positively to the film, garnering it a 75% critics score and a 94% audience score.
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
“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.”
Who Is In The Cast of ‘The Equalizer 3’?
Emma (Dakota Fanning) reports to Frank what is happening in Italy in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
To watch our exclusive interview with Antoine Fuqua, as well as interviews with Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning about ‘The Equalizer 3,’ please click on the video player below.
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) moves to Southern Italy to escape from his past, but later discovers that his new friends are under the control of the Sicilian Mafia. With the help of a young CIA agent (Dakota Fanning), Robert unleashes his past self to protect his new friends.
Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo by: Stefano Montesi.
Against all odds ‘The Equalizer’ franchise has become one of the most reliable action series in cinema, right up there with the ‘John Wick’ movies, and the third chapter does not disappoint. Director Antoine Fuqua adds a new tone by taking Robert McCall’s story to Italy, which breathes fresh life into the franchise without ever betraying the spirit of the popular protagonist. Denzel Washington has truly created one of his most memorable characters with McCall, and has unforgettable onscreen chemistry with co-star Dakota Fanning, reuniting with the actress for the first time since their work on the 2004 now-classic ‘Man on Fire.’
Story and Direction
(L to R) Denzel Washington and Director Antoine Fuqua between takes while filming in the Amalfi Coast on the set of Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo by: Stefano Montesi.
The original ‘The Equalizer’ loosely adapted the 80’s TV series by introducing us to Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), a retired CIA operative trying to live a quiet life in Boston. When outside forces threaten the small community he has created, McCall strikes back raining fire and vengeance down upon them. By the end of the first film, McCall has decided to put his skills to use helping those that can’t help themselves, which was the basic plot of the original TV series.
‘The Equalizer 2’ saw McCall in Boston making good on his promise from the first film and helping the unfortunate. But when his close friend and former CIA colleague Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) is murdered by McCall’s former partner Dave York (Pedro Pascal), McCall releases a personal vendetta on York and his former team members.
In ‘The Equalizer 3,’ we meet an older McCall, tired from his revenge-for-hire business, on a mission in Italy to right another wrong for an American family that lost their savings to an international gangster with terrorist ties. After an injury, McCall is taken to a small Italian town and nursed back to health by a local doctor named Enzo (Remo Girone). McCall soon comes to love the town and the people in it, including a waitress named Aminah (Gaia Scodellaro), who McCall has affection for. But when the town and its people are threatened by the same family of mobsters that McCall was trying to stop in the first place, he vows to take them all down one by one to save the town and protect its people. In order to do that, he enlists the help of a CIA agent named Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning), who unbeknownst to her, has a secret connection to McCall in her past.
(L to R) Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua and on the set of ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.
As action-packed as ‘The Equalizer’ franchise is, and as much as we all love seeing Denzel Washington systematically killing bad guys, the series is really a character study, and that has never been more apparent than in ‘Equalizer 3.’ By putting McCall in a new and foreign setting to him, it allows director Antoine Fuqua to slow the action just a bit and really explore what years of violence has done to this man that we’ve grown to love over the course of the previous films. It also doesn’t hurt that the character is portrayed by one of the most beloved actors of all time, who brings all that love and grace with him to the role, but more on that in a minute.
Fuqua wisely opens the movie with a fantastic action sequence, which was featured in the trailer and sets the pace for the film before slowing it down to explore McCall’s state of mind to great effect. While some might just be waiting for the next action sequence, they will end up captivated by McCall’s journey, meeting the town’s people and watching him find a feeling of home in this town, which will give him his motivation for the explosive second half of the film.
There is a comparison to be made between Fuqua and Washington’s collaborations and those of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. In addition to ‘The Equalizer’ franchise, Fuqua and Washington have made together the Oscar-winning ‘Training Day’ and the western remake ‘The Magnificent Seven.’ The director and actor clearly have a strong shorthand together that works, as it does here again with this film.
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Denzel’s Performance
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) watches Vincent crawl down his stairs in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
There is no arguing that Denzel Washington is one of the greatest screen actors of all time. His body of work speaks volumes, so I won’t bother listing them all as everyone knows his resume. But in this modern age of superhero movies, a serious actor like Denzel could easily have slipped away from making box office hits but instead has embraced a franchise based on an old TV show and has turned McCall into his own version of a modern day superhero by infusing the character with his real-life integrity and gravitas. We root for McCall because we love Denzel, and we love seeing him … as the actor has said publicly, “get the guys we can’t get.”
Washington takes the opportunity in ‘Equalizer 3,’ to really explore his character’s emotions in an authentic way that the franchise has not had a chance to do previously, while never really jeopardizing the pace or the action. After four films together Washington clearly trusts Fuqua, and it shows in his performance in this movie, as Robert McCall has truly become one of Washington’s signature characters.
‘Man on Fire’ Reunion
Emma (Dakota Fanning) reports to Frank what is happening in Italy in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
But one of the best parts of ‘The Equalizer 3’ is seeing the ‘Man on Fire’ reunion between actress Dakota Fanning and Washington. ‘Man on Fire’ is a 2004 Tony Scott classic, and one of the best films of Washington’s long and respected career. Fanning starred opposite Washington when she was just 10 years old and the two actor’s chemistry together in that movie was unforgettable … seriously, you should watch it if you haven’t! So, seeing Dakota and Denzel together again was a real treat, and their chemistry together is as good now as it ever was. Washington clearly has a lot of affection for Fanning, and that plays well with their character’s secret connection. Fanning is also believable as a young CIA agent, and the movie benefits from her presence.
Misfires
Vincent (Andrea Scarduzio, right) comes to the church to see his brother Marco (Andrea Dodero) in Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
While the movie is thoroughly enjoyable, both through its action-sequences and its performances, it does lag a bit in the first act, after the cold open action scene. The scenes are still enjoyable, and it establishes McCall’s connection to his new community for what is to come, but some viewers looking for non-stop action, may find these sequences tedious.
The movie also lacks any original villains, and instead gives us generic Italian mafia bad guys. The first film at least established a ‘Die Hard’ Hans Gruber-type villain in Marton Csokas’ assassin Nicolai Itchenko, and the second movie had a personal antagonist in Pedro Pascal’s Dave York. In ‘The Equalizer 3’ we are given Andrea Scarduzio’s Vincent Quaranta, a spoiled narcissist with delusions of grandeur, who could easily be swapped into any James Bond or John Wick movie as the generic villain and has no real emotional to the story.
Will there be an ‘Equalizer 4’?
(L to R) Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington on the set of ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.
That’s hard to say, but neither Fuqua or Washington have said they wouldn’t be interested, and the movie certainly leaves the possibility for more stories featuring Washington’s version of Robert McCall. And now that Fanning’s Emma Collins has been established, she could make a great ally for McCall moving forward.
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
‘The Equalizer 3’ is a worthy addition to the extremely enjoyable ‘Equalizer’ franchise and Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua have recaptured the magic of the previous films while expanding on the emotional journey of the title character. Dakota Fanning is a delightful addition to the franchise, and seeing her reunite with Washington is a true treat for fans of the classic ‘Man on Fire.’
‘The Equalizer 3’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) moves to Southern Italy to escape from his past, but later discovers that his new friends are under the control of the Sicilian Mafia. With the help of a young CIA agent (Dakota Fanning), Robert unleashes his past self to protect his new friends.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Antoine Fuqua about his work on ‘The Equalizer 3,’ what audiences should expect from the new movie, why this chapter takes place in Italy, reuniting Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington, how his relationship with Denzel has grown over the years, and why audiences love Washington as Robert McCall.
‘The Equalizer 3’ director Antoine Fuqua.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our exclusive interview with Fuqua, as well as interviews with Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning that took place before the SAG/AFTRA Strike.
Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to fans of this franchise sitting down right now to watch the third installment to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?
Antoine Fuqua: Be prepared for McCall’s final masterpiece of not only just violence, but finding a home for himself in a spectacular setting.
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
MF: Why did you decide to take Robert McCall’s story to Italy for this movie?
AF: Myself, the writer and the producers have always wanted to take Robert McCall international. In my mind, in his other life, he probably lived in many different places in the world. So Italy just felt natural, because Denzel goes there quite a bit and as well as myself. I wanted a place that he felt at home and comfortable and knew the language. So, the Amalfi Coast, of course, not only is it ideal, it’s just beautiful. This place, Atrani, where we filmed, is so old world, you feel like you’ve been transported back in time, and that was important to us.
(L to R) Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua and on the set of ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.
MF: Obviously, you worked with Denzel Washington previously on ‘Training Day,’ but how has your friendship and your working relationship grown and changed through the course of making these three ‘Equalizer’ movies?
AF: I mean, the friendship remains the same. We’ve been friends. Our family, we know each other that way. Business wise and director-actor, it’s always been a mutual respect. Denzel has total trust in me, and of course, I have total trust in Mr. Washington. He’s never come over to look at the monitor or come to the editing bay or anything like that. He completely trusts what I do and I trust what he does, and that’s been our relationship. He knows I’m going to come to work to handle business, and I know he is. You know he’s coming, so I better be ready.
(L to R) Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington on the set of ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.
MF: Can you talk about reuniting Dakota Fanning with Denzel Washington so many years after ‘Man on Fire,’ and the incredible onscreen chemistry they still have together in ‘The Equalizer 3’?
AF: It’s incredible. I mean, what an opportunity. It just doesn’t happen that often where you see a young actor or actress grow up in front of you, and see an icon like Mr. Washington in a role together. Then have the opportunity to do it again later in life in something like this. So when I got the call from Todd Black that Dakota was interested, I said, “I got to meet her right now for lunch, today.” So we met. I fell in love with her, of course. I didn’t tell Denzel I was meeting with her. I wanted to make sure she really wanted to do it. Then I called Denzel, I said, “I met with Dakota. She wants to do it.” He was like, “Absolutely.” He loved Dakota. He lit up. So I was like, “Amazing.” So every day when I was filming them, he would turn to me sometimes and smile and go like, “She’s a grownup now.” He would just laugh about it. So it was like a father-daughter relationship. Really sweet.
Denzel Washington in ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo: Stefano Montesi.
MF: Finally, what do you think it is about this franchise, and particularly Denzel Washington’s performance as Robert McCall that resonates so much with audiences?
AF: I think the audience resonated with him, because he’s a common man. There’s nothing fancy about him, and he’s all about helping others without recognition. He doesn’t do it for money or anything. It’s sort of a throwback to (Akira) Kurasawa, which is one of my heroes. Like the ‘Seven Samurai,’ you’re going to go help a village for a bowl of rice. Getting back to that was an important message to put out into the world. Denzel, just being a great actor and being the great person who he is, there’s no Robert McCall without Denzel Washington. So he brings all of himself to that character, and that’s why it works.
(L to R) Denzel Washington and Director Antoine Fuqua between takes while filming in the Amalfi Coast on the set of Columbia Pictures ‘The Equalizer 3.’ Photo by: Stefano Montesi.
