Watch Order
0 / 3 watchedThree films in release order, which is story order.
About Equalizer
The Equalizer films star Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a retired intelligence operative pulled back to protect people nobody else helps. The first film (2014) from Antoine Fuqua pits him against the Russian mob over a girl named Teri. The second (2018) investigates the murder of his friend Susan Plummer. The third (2023) retires him to a coastal Italian town until the Camorra forces one last stand.
The trilogy adapts the 1980s CBS series with Edward Woodward as McCall. The show ran four seasons from 1985 to 1989 and shares only the premise, so it works as background rather than required viewing for the films.
Good to know
Watch the three films in release order and finish with the Italy chapter, which Fuqua staged as the closing act. McCall's injuries and friendships carry between films, so skipping the middle one weakens the finale. The 1980s series and the Queen Latifah reboot from 2021 are separate continuities with their own McCalls, safe to explore only after the trilogy.
