Starring: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Julie Benz, Colin Salmon, Doug Hutchinson, Dash Mihok, Wayne Knight, Stephanie Janusauskas
Written by: Nick Santora, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
Directed by: Lexi Alexander
Original Year of Release: 2008
Run Time: 1hr, 43 minutes
Rated: R
I have no idea why I didn't see Punisher: War Zone ten years ago. Perhaps it was because I did not care for the first installment with Thomas Jane in the title role. In fact, I didn't even think about the film or have the desire to watch it until I heard the podcast, "How Did This Get Made". Director Lexi Alexander sat in on the show and discussed what happened with the film in an all too honest commentary. I quickly sought out the film in a few stores, but DVDs and Blu-rays are quickly becoming harder and harder to find (especially the older films). On Tuesday, September 25th, Lionsgate released Alexander's film in a stunning 4K HD release. Fans of the film will relish in greasy greens and overly violent undertones that are brought to life.
I was not a fan, but a first time viewer. With ten years of Marvel films, the creation and establishment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and a whole new Punisher currently shooting his second season for Netflix, what did I think of Punisher: War Zone?
The film picks up with Frank Castle aka the Punisher (now played by Ray Stevenson) knee deep in his war on crime. The Punisher is still hunting the mob and all its ties to those that killed his family. In tracking down Billy "the Beaut" Russotti he not only kills an undercovered FBI agent but turns Billy into his own nemesis, Jigsaw, ala Batman creating the Joker. Not very original, even the set is similar to Tim Burton's Batman (1989), just substitute a glass compactor for chemicals and you get the point. Having remorse about killing one of the "good guys", the Punisher decides to end his war on crime. His cohort, Micro (Wayne Knight), reminds him that the war against crime is never over. Mix that with the dead agent's family now a target for the recently christened "Jigsaw" and Punisher: War Zone pretty much runs the numbers until the end credits.
It's not all a formulaic humdrum of a film. It is beautifully shot (heightened by the 4K here in this release). The violence, if you are into that sort of thing, is easily the most graphic and overtop, in the best comic book way, without ever being funny. Lexi Alexander has gone on record saying that she needed the violence in the film to be something that could NOT be imitated, especially after the Virginia Tech massacre. Ray Stevenson is actually a decent Punisher. His scenes with actresses Julie Benz and Stephanie Janusauskas (the FBI agent's family) are heartwarming. All these scenes remind us of what Frank Castle lost and the demons that still haunt him. The big surprise to me was Wayne Knight as Micro. He is both funny and slick. A great comedic relief to Frank's dower outlook on the world, but also quick to remind him that if he doesn't carry on, no one will.
The film falls flat on the villains. Dominic West as Jigsaw and Doug Hutchinson as Looney Bin Jim either saw the writing on the wall or just aren't very good. West, who is often better in a supporting role, and Hutchinson, best left to playing creepy characters with great presence but little screen time, are in the film way too much. They are what make this film unwatchable. West's accent is too "wise guys", perhaps that's on me knowing full well that he is British, but I half expected his scenes to become a Saturday Night Live skit. As for Hutchinson... well, it's best to just ignore him altogether.
All in all the film is half a classic comic book tale brought to life and half a trainwreck of miscast actors who could not be wrangled. With three Punisher films in the can now, as well as three different actors who have played him on screen, it's best to leave Frank Castle to the small screen. His story is one that is too complex for a two-hour movie because it goes on and on. We are having a golden age for the character now on Netflix. Watch the film for its fantastic cinematography, production design, Rey Stevenson, and Wayne Knight. Ignore the rest.
4K UHD COMBO PACK SPECIAL FEATURES
- Audio Commentary with Director Lexi Alexander and Director of Photography Steve Gainer
- “The Making of Punisher: War Zone” Featurette
- “Meet Jigsaw” Featurette
- “Weapons of The Punisher” Featurette
- “Training to Become The Punisher” Featurette
- “Creating the Look of the Film” Featurette