The Equalizer 3 ending explained

The Equalizer 3 is the third part of Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall trilogy – here’s everything you need to know about the film’s intense ending.

The Equalizer started out as a TV show that starred Edward Woodward, which was then turned into a blockbuster movie starring Denzel Washington.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the 2014 film grossed three times its budget, resulting in a 2018 sequel on which actor and director re-teamed, and another box office hit. Which precipitated Washington and Fuqua collaborating for a third time on The Equalizer 3 in 2023.

The plot sees McCall going toe-to-toe with the Mafia in Italy, and you can read our review here, or find out about the ending below. Though beware of SPOILERS AHEAD…

The Equalizer 3 ending explained: Does Robert McCall die?

The Equalizer 3 ends with Robert McCall killing the head of the Italian mafia and finally retiring in peace in Altamonte, surrounded by the townsfolk who see him as one of their own.

At the beginning of the film, McCall wipes out a mob base at a Sicilian vineyard before setting off with a bag, but we don’t know its contents. He’s shot on his way out, but he manages to make it to Altamonte (a fictional paradise in southern Italy) where he’s patched up by a local doctor and given a place to stay.

While he wanders the town and befriends cafe owners, policemen, and others, he contacts Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning), a CIA officer specializing in financial crime, to inform her of a possible “repackaging operation” at the vineyard. When they investigate, they find “jihadi drugs” inside the bottles, and it appears the operation is funding Syrian terrorists.

She tracks McCall down, but he keeps his cards close to his chest; he doesn’t tell her why he specifically phoned her, but he teases more details about what’s going on in the town. She eventually learns that it’s the “Camorra”, aka the mafia, rather than a terrorist cell in Italy – and she narrowly misses an attempt on her life with a car bomb as she digs deeper into their operation.

Sony Pictures

Meanwhile, McCall grows tired of the mafiosos coming into the town and terrorizing people, so he kills a large squad of them – the leader of which happens to be the brother of the mafia chief, Vincent (Andrea Scarduzio). When he threatens to murder the local policeman if the killer doesn’t reveal himself, McCall emerges into the town square and asks them to take him but leave everyone else alone.

Vincent says it’s the best place to make an example of him, but everyone in the town suddenly rebels against the mafia like they’re calling themselves Spartacus, which scares the mob off – for now. “I’ll be waiting here, hurry up,” McCall tells him, but he doesn’t wait long. McCall finds Vincent’s home and murders all of the guards in an increasingly brutal fashion, before knocking Vincent out, feeding him the drugs they’ve been peddling, and watching him crawl down the street before his heart stops.

The next day, McCall visits Collins in hospital with the same bag we saw at the start. He explains that it contains around $360,000 in cash, the pension of a random man back in Boston who had his money stolen by a cyber thief. When she asks why he helped a stranger, he says: “I gave him a Lyft once.” He walks out but leaves the bag in the room, and Collins heads back to Boston to deliver the money. Remember, The Equalizer operates anonymously, so anyone who needs their help doesn’t know that it’s McCall they’re contacting.

There’s one last gift: McCall sends a package to Collins containing his little black book of government contacts, with the note: “Your mother would be proud of you.” That’s right, Collins is the daughter of Susan and Brian Plummer (Melissa Leo and Bill Pullman), McCall’s former DIA colleagues, the former of whom was murdered in the first sequel.

Before the movie ends, we see McCall sitting at a cafe in Altamonte during a local celebration. He’s happy, and he no longer needs to rely on violence. As he gets up to join in on the fun, he’s so relaxed that he even forgets his spoon at the table. The Equalizer’s story is over.

Or is it? Rumors have swirled about a possible fourth film that could be made in the future but, nothing has been confirmed yet.

However, if you’re looking for new movies to get excited about in order to fill The Equalizer hole in your heart, you can read all about the upcoming fifth John Wick film.