The Equalizer 3: Unveiling the Exclusive Director's Cut – Over 2 Hours of Raw Action!
Fuqua's The Equalizer 3 defies the action movie norm with an original cut exceeding 2 hours The director's dissatisfaction hints at a unique approach, promising a thrilling departure from the usual action-packed films
Summary
The Equalizer 3 had a longer cut that director Antoine Fuqua edited down to 1 hour and 49 minutes for a tighter, more focused film.
Fuqua defied the prevailing trend of overly long action movies by placing emphasis on the film's rhythm and intentionality, rather than its duration.
The Equalizer 3 distinguishes itself as one of 2023's briefest blockbuster action films, delivering a succinct yet thrilling experience for viewers.
The Equalizer 3 was once significantly longer in a previous version. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington, The movie features Washington reprising his role as the crime-fighting character, Robert McCall. After enjoying a peaceful life in Southern Italy, McCall is pulled back into the underworld when he discovers that his friends are under the control of the Italian mafia. Determined to dismantle the mafia, McCall embarks on another thrilling adventure in the Equalizer series.
According to Fuqua, The Equalizer 3 initially had a much lengthier version. In an interview with Collider, Fuqua reveals that initially, he struggled to find the right pacing for the film. The original cut of The Equalizer 3 ran for over 2 hours. However, through persistent editing, Fuqua managed to trim the film down, although he admits there were some back-and-forths in the process. Fuqua provides further details in the following explanation.
The duration of this film was never more than, I would say, 2 hours and 15 minutes, and I was not satisfied with it. Initially, I struggled to find a suitable rhythm for reasons that I cannot fully explain. I believe a significant factor was the aftermath of the film Emancipation and the entire Academy situation, which unknowingly took a toll on me. I needed to catch up with myself. Consequently, my editing process began with an unsettled rhythm, and it took me quite some time to align with it. I had to repeatedly watch, allowing the film to gradually unveil its right rhythm, its proper heartbeat. As I kept refining and eliminating unnecessary parts, I noticed improvement. More and more, I found myself not missing certain scenes or moments. Removing them felt completely appropriate, and I continued this process until I reached a point where I felt that going further would harm the film.
In the final stages of mixing, I called Conrad just a day before completion. I explained to him that we needed to reintroduce certain aspects that I had previously cut. He responded with confusion, questioning why I would want to make changes when the movie was already finished. Nonetheless, I had a strong urge to restore those elements. My disrupted rhythm and delayed comprehension prompted me to reconsider their inclusion.
Fuqua Resisted an Action Movie Run Time Trend
The final version of The Equalizer 3 has a run time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, making it significantly shorter than the longest cut described by Fuqua. This shorter duration enabled the director to create tight action sequences within the boundaries of the film. Compared to the previous installments in the Equalizer series, The Equalizer 3 is the shortest, with The Equalizer 2 running just over 2 hours at 2:01 and The Equalizer being an even longer 2 hours and 12 minutes.
With a run time of 1:49, The Equalizer 3 stands out as one of the shortest major action films of 2023. In contrast, both Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny have storylines that unfold over 2.5 hours. Even Fast X is 2 hours and 21 minutes long, which is around 30 minutes longer than The Equalizer 3. Nowadays, it seems common for major action and adventure films to have gargantuan run times. Perhaps directors and producers aim to attract audiences by offering epic narratives that provide a multi-hour theatrical experience.
Fuqua went against this trend in The Equalizer 3, opting instead to focus on the rhythms of his noir-inspired film. This allowed for a greater intentionality in the exploration of his central character. The massive box office opening of The Equalizer 3 suggests that Fuqua's choices have been successful.
