Check out our favourite films of 2022 below:

Honourable Mention: Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter

The horror genre had another great year in 2023, and one film that was uniquely frightening was the gothic horror of André Øvredal’s Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter. Øvredal explored the fresh territory of the vampire genre with this picture, and it delivered on the sheer shock and terror of its horror moments. This Dracula was a beast of the abyss, and the blood and dread that followed made for a terrifying experience. Audiences were sure to feel a ghoulish shiver run up their spines with this horrorfest, and Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter delivered on its promise to leave you with plenty of sleepless nights.

10. Napoleon

Sir Ridley Scott brought his immense talent for world creation to life on the big screen once again with his colossal epic Napoleon, and it was an awe-inspiring watch. With two fearless performances from Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix as ambitious general Napoleon Bonaparte and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine, the woman he would conquer the world for, Napoleon was a rousing and ambitious project that chronicled the age of the Napoleonic Wars and the man who re-shape the destiny of Europe. With its gigantic battle scenes, beautiful costumes and set pieces and intense emotional drama at the heart of its story, Napoleon made for an incredible sight on the big screen.

9. Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese is a living legend of cinema, and he brought an incredibly profound and deeply heart-wrenching tale of love and betrayal to life in Killers of the Flower Moon. With its scale and majesty, Killers of the Flower Moon could be considered to be the great director’s magnum opus, and in every frame, you felt the director’s pull to his characters and this American story that was so deeply personal to him to tell. Leonardo DiCaprio shocked audiences with a completely left-facing turn as the slow-witted and malignant Ernest Burkhart, while Lily Gladstone brought a dynamic bravery to the role of Burkhart’s wife Mollie, who served as the voice of the Osage people and the terrible troubles that this picture documented. Everything of Scorsese as a filmmaker was present in Killers of the Flower Moon, and it’s an utterly triumphant work.

8. Air

A true underdog story awaited audiences in Air, and this true-life story of ‘hustle and grind’ and the decisions that would help turn a floundering Oregon-based shoe company called Nike in the late 1980s into a gigantic powerhouse brand was on show for everyone to see in all its glory. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Tucker, and Triple Crown-winning actress Viola Davis only added to the star power of this picture, and Air was a fun, enjoyable and ultimately uplifting story of why sometimes you’ve got to ‘just do it’.

7. Barbie

Barbie went blockbuster in 2023, and this prancing, dancing and neon-pink whirlwind of cinema was an utter pop culture phenomenon that saw audiences lining up in their ‘think pink’ wardrobe, and this was fun for everyone to enjoy. Margot Robbie shines in this ‘fish out of water’ story, as Barbie finds her way into the real world, and things get real. Then there was Ken. Oh, Ken, and Ryan Gosling was completely addicting to watch in his performance, and man-o-man, could he hold a tune. Barbie was a pure party of delight, filled with every shade of pink imaginable, and it was the perfect film to groove out to with your girlfriends…and maybe a Ken or two.

6. What’s Love Got to Do with It?

My feeling is that 2023 is bringing back the rom-com, and one of the year’s best was the fabulous, fun and poignant watch of What’s Love Got to Do with It? Directed by celebrated British filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and written by socialite turned screenwriter Jemima Khan, this was a poignant and layered film that explored the very construct of love and how it grows between two people, and the result made for a film that was both sassy and serious. Lily James again shows that she’s a serious talent to keep an eye on, and the end result was a charming picture packed full of joy that audiences were sure to fall in love with.

5. John Wick: Chapter 4

Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski have forever changed the landscape of action cinema with their work on the John Wick franchise, and it got gnarly in the fourth chapter as the legendary assassin John Wick (Reeves), the ‘Baba Yaga’ himself, declared war on the High Table itself, and the result was utterly explosive. Big action met big drama in John Wick: Chapter 4, and the result was an utter rush that had your adrenal gland working overtime in one of the year’s best action pictures.

4. The Equalizer 3

As the culminating chapter to one of the decade’s greatest action franchises, much expectation was levelled on Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer 3 and the return of Denzel Washington as Robert McCall. And the two-time Academy Award winner didn’t disappoint in this dramatic, edgy and visceral action film. Operatic in its construction and delivery, Fuqua and Washington delivered this final chapter for this modern-day ronin who had to deliver justice at all costs. Violent and instinctive, The Equalizer 3 made for an intense and bold watch, and it was undoubtedly one of this year’s best cinematic events.

3. Saltburn

Emerald Fennel shocked audiences with her debut feature, Promising Young Women, and its follow-up, the fantastical gothic thriller Saltburn, which was a film of shocking INSANITY! Fennell invited audiences into a lavish experience of debauchery and excess with this psychodrama, and its twisting, edgy and shocking narrative made for one of the most intense cinematic experiences of the year. Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi cemented their position as two stars worthy of the A-list, and the Saltburn made for an experience of pure, unadulterated hedonism with the volume turned all the way up. Saltburn was a cinematic experience that set your senses on fire, with its narrative left to spin around your mind for days.

2. Living

Bill Nighy is an absolute treasure of an actor, and he gave the performance of a lifetime as Mr Rodney Williams in the tranquil and deeply moving Living. An emotional rollercoaster exploring the very necessity of life and what makes it meaningful, Living was an emotionally rousing, beautifully filmed piece of cinema, and by its end frame, you were sure to be wiping away the tears. Powerful in its construction and delivery, Living was an incredibly special watch, and its story was sure to find its way into the hearts of all audiences who basked in its beauty.

1. Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan is a giant of the cinematic craft, and he turned his attention to one of the most significant moments of the 20th century in the discovery of the Atomic Age and its long-lasting consequences in Oppenheimer. Large and operatic in its spectacle, Oppenheimer was a film of cause and effect, action and consequence, and how innovation can lead to both discovery and destruction in the same moment. Nolan’s narrative was a masterwork of story, and his assembled cast, including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr and Kenneth Branagh, led an incredible group of players and built an atmosphere of total immersion. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was an utter cinematic masterpiece and is likely to be one of the most important narrative events of the 21st century.

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Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he discovers his 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.

In 2014, director Antoine Fuqua, along with Hollywood A-lister Denzel Washington, set out to reignite the action genre. They took it and long-time genre fans on one hell of a ride as they resurrected the character of super assassin Robert McCall and gave him a new purpose as a protector of the vulnerable and the victimized. The Equalizer was an action film driven by character, and its approach to the style of the genre made audiences sit up as Washington’s McCall eviscerated the Russian Mob. In 2018, Washington returned as McCall for a far more personal and violent vendetta that cemented his character as an avenger. Now, in 2023, Washington’s McCall returns for a third and final time in the series most intense and passionate entry yet. And make no mistake when I say that The Equalizer 3 is one of the coolest films of the year.

Whereas in previous chapters of the franchise, Robert McCall was a reactionary force for justice, in The Equalizer 3, we find him proactively fighting for justice. And this leads him to his most violent and dangerous test yet. Director Antoine Fuqua moves the action away from McCall’s native Massachusetts and places him in Southern Italy, and he’s firmly on the hunt. One action leads to another, and soon McCall lands in a tranquil fishing town on the edge of the Amalfi Coast. While its people welcome him and he finds himself on the verge of peace for the first time, a dark shadow has cast itself over McCall’s paradise, and soon, this angel of death must reach for his blade to deliver his form of vigilante justice.

For Antoine Fuqua, The Equalizer 3 allows the filmmaker to bring a proper conclusion to this epic action story while expanding his directing style. Fuqua lets McCall’s character drive the pace of the narrative, and he brings a grand and epic sense of style to the visuals that arrive on screen. Fuqua does not rush the narrative, instead letting it play out at its own pace, with McCall’s actions revealing themself step by step. The result is a film that is equal parts emotional drama and visceral action, fully holding the audience’s attention.

Two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington returns for his final performance as vigilante hero Robert McCall, a former government assassin turned avenger, and he faces a battle for his very soul in this final chapter. Washington’s McCall is a hunter of this story, pursuing a dangerous conspiracy that takes a dramatic turn. For the first time, audiences see McCall in a vulnerable position, and this juxtaposition leads to considerable growth for McCall’s character. He has to contend with the philosophical question of whether he’s a good man who does bad things or a bad man who does good things. And Washington’s sense of pathos and internal contemplation play into McCall’s character development.

But after McCall finally finds peace, a sinister force threatens his loved ones, and he must unleash the monster trapped inside of him one last time. The Equalizer 3 sees Washington transformed into a literal angel of death as McCall, clad all in black and striking from the shadows with brutal effect. Again, Washington and Fuqua play into the closed-fisted, mano-o-mano combat that audiences have come to see as an integral part of the franchise. But this action also serves as a narrative tool and is operatic in its display. In the guise of an almost saintly executioner, Washington unleashes the fury one last time, and it’s a character-defining battle for Robert McCall.

The Equalizer 3 also marks a reunion between Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning. In 2004, this pairing impressed audiences with their committed and poignant work in the seminal action thriller Man on Fire. Nineteen later, these two performers share the screen again, and it’s enjoyable to watch. Fanning steps into the role of Emma Collins, a young CIA operative who comes into McCall’s world and soon becomes a quasi-alley to the veteran vigilante. With a fearless mix of tenacity and curiosity, Fanning’s Collins holds court with Washington’s McCall, and the chemistry they previously shared together is still as sharp as ever.

Washington’s McCall has tangled with some pretty nasty villains in his time, and now he faces the sinister presence of the Camorra, the mafia elite of Naples. And it’s a blood-for-blood fight. McCall’s chief adversary in The Equalizer 3 is the smart, savvy and sinister Vincent Quaranta, played in a dashing yet dangerous performance by Andrea Scarduzio. Scarduzio strikes a volatile yet polished presence as Quranta, making McCall the object of a personal vendetta. For all his stance as a ‘legitimate businessman’, Scarduzio’s Quaranta is a man prone to sadistic acts, and the danger is real with this brutal antagonist. Quaranta and the Camorra’s presence give McCall a worthy adversary to combat in The Equalizer 3. And things get bloody quickly.

Two key contributing factors to the energy and dynamism of The Equalizer 3 are the presence of cinematographer Robert Richardson and composer Marcelo Zarvos. As a three-time Academy Award winner, Richardson is one of the best in the business, and his incredible eye elevates the pictures’ striking visual presence. Richardson captures the tranquil beauty and peace of the Amalfi coast and balances this against the grim-dark danger of Naples’s shady and seedy underbelly. Richardon’s vision for the film reflects a deep film noir style, with elements of Caravaggio’s Chiaroscuro baked in for good measure, and this haunting visual style marks out The Equalizer 3 as something unique amongst the action genre. Adding an aggressive intensity to The Equalizer 3 is Marcelo Zarvos’ masculine score, and its high-energy, thumping beat will get your adrenaline going.

Audiences seeking their action fix will get it with The Equalizer 3. And this is an action film that goes straight for the jugular. Director Antoine Fuqua revs up the narrative’s intensity and violence in all its visceral flair. The violence and action of this picture serve a unique narrative function, and there’s nothing flashy or fancy about the film’s brutal combat. Washington carves his way through the worst of the worst in The Equalizer 3, making for a gnarly watch.

Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua conclude Robert McCall’s journey with The Equalizer 3. In my opinion, this is the best film of the franchise and is a fitting ending for one of the last decades’ most defining screen heroes. It’s character-driven, morally complex, kick-ass action cinema, and you’ll feel the rush.

Image: Sony Pictures

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Watch the action-packed new trailer for The Equalizer 3 below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

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.

Washington reteams with filmmaker and long-time collaborator Antoine Fuqua for the final chapter of McCall’s story in The Equalizer 3. Following in the wake of The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2, they’re ready to take things up a notch as McCall goes head tp head with a brutal Mafia clan. And he ain’t mucking around. This new trailer captures the intensity and pulse-pounding action of the new film perfectly and audiences will be in for a rush with The Equalizer 3.

Along with putting Washington back in action as McCall, Fuqua also makes this a collaboration between Washington and Dakota Fanning, who made a hell of a pair of co-stars with 2004’s Man on Fire, and it’s very cool to see them back on screen together. While we’re not privy to the state of their relationship this time around, it’s incredibly exciting to see them both on screen together, and their undeniable chemistry is still there.

The Equalizer 3 is shaping up to be one hell of an action epic, and this final chapter is ready to bring the ferocity of action when it arrives in cinemas on August 31.

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