The Equalizer 3's Original Cut Was Over 2 Hours

The Equalizer 3 could have had a much longer run time according to director Antoine Fuqua, who claims that he had trouble finding the film's rhythm.

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 resisted the trend of lengthy action movies, choosing to prioritize the rhythm and intentionality of the film over a longer runtime.
• The Equalizer 3 stands out as one of the shortest major action films of 2023, offering audiences a concise and action-packed experience.

The Equalizer 3 was once much longer in an earlier iteration. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington, The Equalizer 3 sees the return of Washington as the crime-fighting Robert McCall. After living in serenity in Southern Italy, McCall is thrust back into crime after finding out that his friends are being controlled by the Italian mafia. McCall looks to take down the mafia, and what ensues is another action-packed entry to the Equalizer series.

Fuqua explains that The Equalizer 3 originally had a much longer cut. Speaking with Collider, Fuqua revealed that he “couldn’t find a rhythm of it at first,” and the original cut of The Equalizer 3 clocked in at over 2 hours. Fuqua then “chiseled and chiseled and chiseled and chiseled away” as he edited the film, albeit with some flip-flopping along the way. Fuqua offers a full explanation below:

This film was never more than, I’d say, 2:15, and I wasn't happy with it. I couldn't find a rhythm of it at first, for whatever reason. I think a lot of it [was] because, coming out of Emancipation, the whole thing—I'm not gonna get into that—but the whole Academy thing, it took a toll on me a little bit that I didn't realize. I had to catch up to myself a little bit. So, my rhythm was off, and so when I got into the editing bay, my rhythm felt off, and it took me a while. I had to watch it and watch it, and let it come to me more and more and more to where it felt right, the heartbeat felt right. Then, as I chiseled and chiseled and chiseled and chiseled away, I was still like, “Oh, this is getting better,” and I chiseled some more. I was like, “I'm still not missing it,” and I cut this out, and I was like, “I didn't miss that at all!” And I kept going until I felt like, “Okay, if I go any further, I'm gonna hurt it.”

Then I called Conrad, like, literally in the mix the day before we finished, and I was telling him, “Let's put this thing back, let's put that back,” and he’s like, “What the f*ck are you talking about? The movie's done.” I was like, “I gotta put it back. I gotta find a way to do it.” Then I started putting a couple of things back in because my rhythm was just off, and things were coming a little late to me.

Fuqua Resisted an Action Movie Run Time Trend

The final cut of The Equalizer 3 came in at 1 hour and 49 minutes. Being around 25 minutes shorter than the longest cut that Fuqua describes, this truncated run time allowed the director to really keep action sequences tight within the bounds of The Equalizer 3. The 1:49 run time also makes The Equalizer 3 the shortest film in the Equalizer series, with its predecessor The Equalizer 2 coming in just over 2 hours at 2:01, and The Equalizer an even more epic 2:12.

At 1:49, The Equalizer 3 is one of the shortest major action films of 2023. Both Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny unfolded their stories in over 2.5 hours. Even Fast X ran 2:21, around 30 minutes longer than The Equalizer 3. Gargantuan run times seem commonplace for major action and adventure films these days. Directors and producers are perhaps wanting to drive up audiences by offering epic narratives that give audiences a multi-hour theatrical experience.

Fuqua opposed this trend when making The Equalizer 3. By focusing instead on the rhythms of his noir-inspired film, Fuqua gave the opportunity for more intentionality in how he explored his central character. And if The Equalizer 3’s massive box office opening is any indication, Fuqua’s choices have paid off.

Source: Collider