Punisher: War Zone (2008)
By Shane Rivers
A friend of mine once noted that the Punisher is a serial killer who preys on criminals (think Dexter with lots more firepower). That statement always intrigued me, so I was excited to hear that Punisher: War Zone was supposed to be far more violent than the 2004 version starring Thomas Jane.
And more violent it is. Frank Castle aka the Punisher–a former soldier and family man turned vigilante after his family was gunned down by mobsters–seems to constantly find new ways to send his opponents into the afterlife. In one scene , Castle shoots a man with a rocket launcher, reducing him to nothing more than red mist; in another, he punches a crook in the face and literally caves his head in. Trust me, Punisher: War Zone more than earns its R rating.
In this version of the story, Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) is hard at work killing members of the New York crime families; in fact, he’s committed enough murders to fill up all the files in a police precinct basement. But when he leaves vicious gangster Billy “The Beut” Russoti (Dominic West) alive and disfigured, the hood changes his name to Jigsaw, breaks his brother, Loony Bin Jim (Doug Hutchison), out of an insane asylum, and goes on a revenge-fueled crime spree.
Since the title character is pulled from the pages of a comic book, the plot seems acceptable enough. What’s not acceptable is the way in which the material is handled, especially by the screenwriters and cinematographer.
Everything in Punisher: War Zone is illuminated by neon shades of yellow, red, blue and green; after a while, one can’t help but feel trapped in some sort of urban funhouse. I imagine the filmmakers were going for gritty, not gaudy. When I think of neon colors in a comic book adaptation, I’m immediately reminded of the awful Batman & Robin (and that’s not a comparison to be taken lightly).
The script is a schizophrenic mess, so it’s really no surprise to learn that multiple writers were involved. One minute Castle is portrayed as a bloodthirsty killer, and the next he’s talking to a small child and looking all wistful. Since this was the first film under the Marvel Knights production banner–meant to turn out movies for mature audiences–one has to wonder why they didn’t go balls-to-the-wall and drop all the sentimental nonsense?
That’s not to say that the film doesn’t have a few solid moments, as well. Castle’s visit to a grieving widow–and his desire to die at her hands–is handled well, as it his utterance of the line, “Sometimes, I’d like to get my hands on God.” Stevenson delivers the line with such conviction that you have to stop and worry about what would happen to the Almighty if such a meeting ever took place.
While the film would have been most effective as a maddening look at one man’s loss of humanity through violence and revenge, the script tries to please everyone by throwing in some “funny“ moments. These scenes feel completely out of place, especially when the throwaway character of Detective Martin Soap (Dash Mihok) is around.
It’s a real shame, too, as Ray Stevenson demonstrates all the necessary tools to properly bring the Punisher to the big screen. He’s far more physically imposing than Thomas Jane, and he looks to know what he’s doing during the film’s multiple firefights.
Hardcore fans of the Punisher may still find the film enjoyable due to its high violence content, but anyone else should be on their guard. While Frank Castle may excel at killing criminals, Punisher: War Zone seems perfectly adept at killing a franchise.
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This Punisher: War Zone movie review is copyright 2009 Small World Marketing and Shane Rivers. This Punisher: War Zone review should not be reprinted without the permission of the copyright holders.
This movie review of Punisher: War Zone expresses the opinion of the author only. Other Punisher: War Zone movie reviews are available online, and some of those might or might not express different opinions on the movie. Like those other Punisher: War Zone movie reivews, this Punisher: War Zone review is intended for the entertainment and education of the reader. This Punisher: War Zone movie review is provided as is with no warranty or guarantee implied.
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