Rating:
2.5 out of 5
Short version: Whether you enjoy Punisher: War Zone or not will depend completely on what you’re looking to get out of it.
Screen Rant reviews Punisher: War Zone
So… there are two approaches I take to reviewing movies here at Screen Rant. Sometimes I review movies from a more “overall” perspective – generally speaking, and compared to most other movies out there, is it a good movie or a bad one overall?
Then I have what I call a “context review.” This is where I decide whether to basically adjust the bell curve and review a movie from more of a niche perspective. In other words, does it accomplish what it sets out to do within the context of its genre?
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Examples of this would be movies I’ve given 4+ star reviews to like The Signal and Shoot ‘em Up, and even movies I’ve given 5 out of 5 stars to like Kung Fu Hustle.
Were these movies perfect? Oscar-worthy? Of course not. Did they deliver what they promised within their respective genres? Absolutely.
So the question is: On which side of the fence does Punisher: War Zone fall? Based on what I’d heard prior to seeing the film I would have to say I’d have to review it in the latter category. But even using that criteria, some films fail miserably.
This film has suffered through probably the MOST controversy throughout its production of any movie we’ve covered here at Screen Rant – yet I kept an open mind going in.
Enough of that, right? What’s the verdict?
Punisher: War Zone was fun.
At least as much fun as an R-rated, bloody, violent as hell movie about a vigilante can be.
This version of the Punisher is a clean-slate restart of the movie version of the character – it assumes there has never been a Punisher movie prior to this one. During the opening credits (which were really cool, btw) we learn that a mob boss who was on trial has been set free due to a mistrial – the judge presiding over the case was murdered. Cut to a fancy mansion with cars arriving where we meet Billy Russoti (soon to become Jigsaw) and from the first moment we see him his brutal personality is made clear. As it turns out he’s an extremely vain SOB, making his soon to be fate that much more meaningful.
It doesn’t take long for the first action scene to arrive, and it’s a doozy. The violence and gore in this first scene, while not played for laughs, is so over the top that I found myself laughing out loud – in a good way. Who knew that watching a bunch of bad guys getting shot, stabbed, skewered and beaten could be so much fun?
We also see that the NYPD is on Frank Castle’s (the Punisher’s real name) side. They go through the motions of having a “task force” (of one apparently inept guy) trying to hunt him down – but really they’re glad to have his help.
While trying to track down and go after Billy, Castle accidently kills an undercover FBI agent and he takes it extremely hard. BTW, this is where Russoti turns into Jigsaw and all I can say about how it happens is, DAMN…
Having lost his own wife and two children in violence, attending the funeral of the agent and seeing the surviving wife and young daughter causes Castle to decide to hang it up. The fellow who supplies him with weapons convinces him that Jigsaw will be going after the wife and daughter, so Castle says fine, but this will be his last job.
In the meantime Jigsaw breaks his apparently insane, homicidal maniac brother James out of a mental institution in order to help exact revenge and kill the Punisher. This guy was played by Doug Hutchison and I thought his performance was one of the worst things about the movie. It was pretty cheesy and goofy in my opinion. I actually liked Dominic West as Jigsaw (moreso when he still had his own face). He played the character as “hard core” New Yorker – I half expected him to throw in a “mook” or “palooka” at some point, but it worked for me.
And Ray Stevenson as Frank Castle? I thought he nailed it. No disrespect to Thomas Jane, but I never bought him as the Punisher. Stevenson on the other hand – never doubted him as the character for a second.
As to the violence in the film – holy cow. Earlier rumors of a possible PG-13 for this? Give me a break. Doubts about Lexi Alexander doing justice to the kill scenes because she’s a woman? Leave those at the door. Punisher: War Zone is at its best when it’s delivering its particular brand of over the top, 1980s movie style violence. This is gun action/violence as it should be: bloody and gory as hell.
So why all the bad reviews? I think people are judging this from an “overall” point of view instead of a “niche” view. You see this isn’t Iron Man or The Dark Knight… this is (as Massawyrm at AICN pointed out) a comic book movie that knows it’s a comic book movie. It’s not shooting for a serious, real-world take as much as other movies are in the current superhero movie trend. The action is over the top – sometimes to the point that it makes you laugh, but in that put-a-grin-on-your-face “that was AWESOME!” kind of way. 
It’s no cinematic tour de force – no Oscars will be given here. Most of the acting is mediocre, some outright bad. There’s cheesy dialog and some silly characters (a free-running Rastafarian-looking black guy with a Brit/Irish accent for one), but when Frank Castle is doing what he does best, you’ll forget all that and revel in the awesomeness of seeing scores of bad guys get what’s coming in a ton of creative ways. Oh, and the beat-down the two main baddies get at the end are among the most satisfying “bad guy finally gets what’s coming to him” scenes I’ve seen in a film in recent memory.
So, if you go into this looking for a good time I think you’ll come out pretty satisfied. Go into this expecting a “good” movie and you’ll end up laughing at it, not with it.
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152 Comments
The review was a breath of fresh air. The last one I read tried to say Castle should have been played like the Joker in the Dark Knight.
What?
You nailed it and pretty much put my feelings on ,urm… paper.
How do you go from The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man to this? This movie sucks –it sucks in the sense of anyone who expects quality in cinema. Quality in acting,writing — my goodness. I feel bad for dragging friends to see this citing the ‘good reviews’ it got.
Being fair, here is the positive:
The music is alright, the cinematography and editing are fine. Costumes and weapons are good.
I tried to like this movie, even though there is nothing heroic about a serial killer with self purpose. I didn’t mind the first act too much but after that it’s garbage.
The negative:
I like that they kind of addressed a similar theme of that by having him kill an undercover agent and then the line: “Who punishes you?”
That would be, in my opinion, the only talented piece of literary work contributed to this screenplay. It actually meant something. But that meaning and any sense of a plot or theme is drowned in $hitty writing and acting
Writing. I actually don’t blame the director. I don’t see how the actors or script could have been saved. It is purely the writing and acting that ruins this movie.
Who approved this story/screenplay?
I understand they ACTUALLY DID base it off the comics, so where did it go awry?
They threw Chip in there but completely ignored his significance in the comic story arc basically rendering his inclusion pointless — i.e. the film achieved nothing more by including the character in it.
Uh, Ninja-meth addicts or what ever? Okay… moving right along. Oh, the rocket launcher scene is priceless… man that Castle has good aim. Or was that a meth-seeking missile?
And it’s bad enough Jigsaw is also the saw villain. We couldn’t come up with a more creative line then ‘I wanna play a game.”?
All of the ‘badass’ lines were like a bad spoof movie.
“[paraphrased] If I catch you anywhere around hell I’m going to….”
“Sometimes I’d like to get my hands on god…”
I’ll stop there.
Acting. When Ray Stevenson was making his ‘punisher face’, pretty much the entire first act, I bought it. As soon as they tried giving the guy more the one sentence to say it was over. He could not deliver any lines with any emotional impact or even ‘badassness’. Blah. He is the worse Punisher ever.
Dominic West. A good actor. But every scene you could tell he was struggling with that Italian accent.
The ‘Latin King dude’ had a different accent in every scene. None sounded Hispanic. I think that dude is actually Middle Eastern, could be wrong, whatever he was it showed.
The ‘cop investigating Castle’, um, acting school anyone?
The FBI Agent dude was completely dry.
The best actors were the mother of the slain agent and her daughter.
O.K. I’ve written too much. I basically just planned on saying this movie sucks but I know there are plenty of you who think it’s awesome so I gave some reasons why I think it sucks.
If this was suppose to be a dark comedy I guess it’s alright. Because it’s pretty funny.
As long as comic fans settle for grabage-laden comic book adaptions we’ll keep on getting them. As a die-hard comic book fan how could you enjoy this after the accomplishments of The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and of course The Dark Knight?
Just because it’s a ’shoot ‘em up’ doesn’t it mean it has to suck.
So much for my hope of Iron Man setting the bar for Marvel. : (
@High Kalibur
Keep in mind this was NOT a Marvel Studios movie – it’s a Lionsgate film. Big difference.
Vic
i have to agree with high kalibur, this movie was a huge disapointment… i loved the first one and i dont read comics so for 90 % of the people who go to the movies that dont read comics especially this comic book, are going to think this movies blowz ballz, i told myself to get up at least 5 times cause this movie is just a spit in the face of the 1st one, no wonder thomas jane had complications with the script.. i mean the myst sucks but at least jane can…act…the only good part about the movie was the psychosocial song by slipknot and i hate that song lol
@ Vic
True. Didn’t Lionsgate do some or all of the Saw films? No? Yeah? Could the whole Jigsaw line be somekind of misplaced joke?
Adding on to the non-creativity poured into Jigsaw — didn’t the whole doctor/bandage scene remind anyone else of a little-known movie that came out at the end of the 80’s. I belive it was called um… Batman… yeah Batman that’s it.
I wish Marvel would institute some kind of quality control over the characters it licenses out. I really hope I’m not dissapointed with Wolverine, Fox has already slaughtered plenty of source material with X-Men. Wolverine is a chance for redemption.
Granted, plenty of the comic story has already been modified i.e. Gambit — that’s something i can accept because he damn sure should of been in the X-Men Trilogy.
High Kalibur,
Jigsaw is an enemy of the Punishers from the comics.
He was introduced in Amazing Spider-Man 162.
He PREDATES the Jigsaw from the Saw films.
@ Gary
I’m well aware of Jigsaw being a pre-existing villian in the Marvel Universe. I’m not saying the movie copied the idea from Saw. Did I say that somewhere?
But I’m also aware that the script writers of PWZ and Lionsgate knew of the Saw films existence. What I mean by ‘creativity’ is something more original then his ‘play a game line’ since it is bad enough that the name Jigsaw is currently being used as the name of a film Antagonist already. So why not add some originality to his dialog?
Originality is something I look forward to at the movies and I think it requires effort and talent, so I appreciate it.
I wonder why Lexi Alexander did this movie… Green Street Holigans was great.
Who’s looking for originality with Punisher?
Ever hear of The Rifle Man, Outlaw Josie Wales, The Fugitive, Death Wish 1,2,, 3,, to name a few ???
Revenge flicks are all the same, and usually end the same as well,,,
Mindless revenge/ justice killing, frankly I have better things to do then watching ppl get off on killing ppl,,, but hey whatever,,,
To each his own,,,
See now here’s the thing with this movie – I think the camp was intentional. Problem is it wanted to have it both ways: Serious vigilante movie but yet have some humor.
You can’t tell me that the scene where Jigsaw was recruiting members with an American flag flying behind him on a huge video screen wasn’t supposed to be funny on purpose!
Vic
I thought it was pretty much crap. Stevenson was really good too and the action and violence were pretty cool, even though the gore doesn’t even touch was done in Rambo.
It’s pretty sad, a $4 million box office when there was pretty much no direct competition. It did worse than Howard the Duck and Elektra.
Hell, the 2004 film was able to rake in $13 million and that one went up against Kill Bill Vol. 2. I don’t know maybe if Lionsgate had listened to Jane’s suggestions for the film, it might have done better. There’s no real knowing.
Well, I won’t argue too much with what he says about the acting. I agree most of it was pretty bad, and it’s all opinion anyhow. But I do want to comment on one of his opinions. That the Punisher is a “bad” person because he kills mobsters and murderers… Ok, so I guess we need to feel sorry for the murderers because they must have had messed up childhoods and blah blah blah wah wah wah? I don’t care, if there was someone in real life going around murdering killers, mobsters, child molesters, rapists, etc. I’ll be there cheering him on. Will probably be more of a deterrence factor than our wussy inept justice system that gives more rights to criminals than victims…
I’ve been following this film for over a year. I have been waiting and watching and smiling for months now. The Punisher is my version of the Dark Knight. I was so absolutely geeked to see this movie and I made sure I was there opening night.
…….and I loved it! They finally did Justice to Frank Castle. I just pray to the movie Gods that it does well at the box office. That way, we are assured a sequel. The Punisher lives!!!
@ J BIZ
Better pray real hard this week.
I’ll add my money to it, but …
Yah, the chances are pretty low. Lionsgate did an absolutely HORRIBLE job advertising this film. Sure Punisher is not on the A-list like Spiderman, but with proper advertising, any lame action movie should at least open in the top 5 without real competition. Lionsgate are staffed by a bunch of retards. I wish that company crashes and burns. Maybe someone should have warned Ray Stevenson before he took this job, but luckily it appears it hasn’t hurt him, he is supposed to star in Book of Eli with Denzel Washington in the future. Hopefully that will be his break out role. And Hopefully Kevin McKidd get’s the role of Marvel’s Thor and that becomes HIS break out role. I really like those two because of Rome, they were stars of that show and they were the reason why that show was so enjoyable, so best wishes to both of them.
Wow Vic..interesting views thus far.
This is the first I’ve heard of your site and checked it out..I dug your take so here’s mine…I’ll admit I’m a massive Pun fan, and have been for the past 20+ years…Got many issues that comic book geeks would salivate over and am a fan of the earlier years with Microchip..But this movie, that I’ve waited for such a long time, gets mixed results from me…I cheered at the beginning scene when he jacks up all the mob guys at the dinner table…cause come on, that’s what the Pun is an “over the top” killing machine…I read a review earlier on your site that’s true..”unless your a Pun fan, your gonna think the movie is crap”…Unfortunately, that’s most likely true…there was a 2 issue series a ways back that was called “no rules”, at the end Frank shoots and kills a drug dealer that helped him escape, that was classic Punisher of old..So when he blasts old dude in the face with a shotgun-all while holding a little girl in his other arm, I grinned with pride…That’s classic pun and not something most people will dig…When your a hard-core fan(unfortunately like me) of a comic character your going to be cursed seeing that character in the movies, meaning, your going to critique the heck out of it…So it makes it tough for us freaks to enjoy the movie without saying “The Punisher would never do that”!!! But for me seeing Micro…and an actor I’m not familiar with doing a good job playing the Frank Castle demeaner..Jigsaw (and yes his acting blew chunks)was just cool for me to see…Lionsgate could of done better, like spend more than 1 week to film it…But Vic your right, Marvel studios won’t do an “R” movie which is what this has to be…So Vic I’m an individual that does the best I can at my job, ride my harley when dry roads permit, and love to watch me some football…But, I’m a Punisher fan, what can I say??Ready guys and gals for my next statement? I had “fun” seeing this flick, even with being doomed to critique each and every scene…If your not a Punisher fan, don’t bother, you’ll get up like one guy did right in the middle of it and leave. But if you just want to see The Punisher BE the Punisher go check it out…and leave all expectations at the popcorn stand. (Like my Grammer)
@brent
Welcome to Screen Rant! I hope you stick around.
Vic
@ Ken J
“But I do want to comment on one of his opinions. That the Punisher is a “bad” person because he kills mobsters and murderers… Ok, so I guess we need to feel sorry for the murderers because…”
“I tried to like this movie, even though there is nothing heroic about a serial killer with self purpose.”
All I’m saying is he is not heroic, the morality is another issue. It also has nothing to do with why this movie sucks.
I don’t care what you’re using to critique the movie or not. I’m simply saying that the character of Frank Castle is mortal and risks his life to rid the world of scum bags that our lax justice system let free. You call him a murderer, I say murder is only murder if the victim is innocent. So if you only kill someone who murders innocent people, or heck, rapists count too, then you’re doing a service to humanity.
But oh well, that’s just fantasy. In the real world, we can’t have vigilante’s because then it would blur the line too much. Frank Castle is an imaginary character because he is able to do what he does without ever losing sight of who really deserves to die and who doesn’t. In real life, it’ll be hard to find someone like that, most likely anyone who starts off like him would probably get corrupt himself and start killing people merely to protect himself or for monetary gain.
You know, in the movies when they do those fake interviews asking people what they think about a vigilante, you’ll be one of those people who are like “oh, he’s a criminal himself, blah blah blah.” I guess I’ll be the redneck looking one saying “f— the criminals, maybe now they will think twice about doing what they do!” except I’m not even white, but that’s typically who they have saying something like that, lol.
Here’s my question, is this new Punisher better than the first one with the other guy?
You Pun fans are aware that a new Punisher dvd came out recently as a Unrated cut with 17min of new footage right?
@ Ken J
If we went around killing the killers then we become killers and then someone comes looking for us .. Violence begets violence and sooner or later the old saying turn the other cheek should be be applied. Someone has to be the better person, to do whats right… Taking the law into your own hands is WRONG!!
@ 790
I wasn’t aware of that..are you talking about the Tom Jane movie? I just finished watching The Dark Knight back to back and I am probably going to throw it on again!!Man it’s a great movie..one of my all-time favorites fer sure…
@ Ken J
“I don’t care, if there was someone in real life going around murdering killers, mobsters, child molesters, rapists, etc. I’ll be there cheering him on. Will probably be more of a deterrence factor than our wussy inept justice system that gives more rights to criminals than victims…”
I don’t wanna live in your world dude!!
That would be hell on Earth
Yes,,, there’s a new directors/extended cut of the Tom Jane Punisher film out on dvd… It contains over 17 min of additional footage.
Prob is I left it at work so I can’t tell you all the bonus stuff, but it looks impressive.
I’m going to be writing up a dvd re-view on it @ movieguys.org ,,,
And you have rights in the wussy justice system because you are innocent until proven guilty not guilty until proven innocent…if you were arrested for something serious you;d want every one of those rights…
@ 790
Thanks I’ll check it out just let me know when it is available…
Cheers
I’m talking about even after you’ve been proven guilty. Our prisons are like country clubs. I don’t see why every bum on the street don’t just commit a crime and get some free shelter and food. And even when you’re on trial, I wonder if people realize that before your case even goes to trial, it has to go before a grand jury just to decide if there is enough probably cause and enough evidence against you to go to trial in the first place. The media likes to glorify the few cases on an innocent person being put to trial. But the way the system works, about 100 times more guilty people get let go due to insufficient evidence than innocent people to ever even go to trial period.
But alas, you need to read what I said more clearly. I know that this can only happen in an imaginary world where the vigilante sticks to the standard of proof that probably exceeds that needed by the courts to convict. Meaning you know he’s not targetting the innocent people who might have been mistakenly put through the system. He has such a high standard of proof before he declares someone a target that you’re almost sure when he targets someone that they are guilty.
In real life, if we had a vigilante running around like this, one of many things is most likely going to happen:
1. The line he draws between who is a target and who isn’t will be come blurred and many innocent people will be killed because he lacks the judgment to only target the real guilty.
2. The power of being able to kill and get away with it will get to him and he will most likely lose respect for all types of law including people who enforce the law, many law enforcement officers will probably be killed by this person in the times he almost gets caught.
3. The chances of other type of collateral damage are high.
So obviously, in REAL life, this cannot really work, you can’t really find someone as exacting as the comic book Frank Castle. But I’m saying the concept of this character in the real world I’m perfectly ok with. Because I don’t care what happens to the types of scum sucking animals that his character would target. Drug dealers selling dangerous drugs to kids outside of school, people who murder innocent people because they think it is fun, rapists, child molesters, armed robbers, etc. Screw them all, if there was a magically button I can press that will magically pick these people out and have them spontaneously explode, from the feet up, slowly, I would press it, many times to be sure.
I know so many people who have grown up in really horrible conditions with really horrible childhoods that have become great people who are giving back to their community. So seeing these people who have no consideration for other peoples’ lives try to use that excuse to go around harming others makes me very very angry. I believe everything everyone does is by individual choice. That’s why I believe everyone is responsible for every one of their actions.
I don’t think prisons should have televisions, coffee shops (they actually do, look it up if you don’t believe me), free gyms, etc. They should feel like they are actually being punished for what they did, not rewarded with a free place to live.
But like I said, I don’t think something like Punisher can work out in real life, I just like the concept of it and the deterrence factor he would have in real life. But it would never really work out this way. Anyone capable of doing what he does will most definitely go beyond what he does in the comics and movies.
Ok, long post over, lol. And of course greenknight, this is just my opinion, nothing against yours, I just had to clarify mine, not that you are going to agree with it now either. I understand where you stand, I just don’t stand there with you.
@790
Does these extra features replace Tom Jane with another actor that actually look like The Punisher? Because if not, then even if it makes the movie less boring and better, it’s still just an action movie with a guy that calls himself The Punisher because Tom Jane still looks nothing like The Punisher…
I didn’t like the Tom Jane Punisher not just because of Jane, but the story was pretty bad too. But it was better made than this one, definitely, the production was far more professional. Maybe if they had hired Ray Stevenson for that one, it would have been a much better Punisher than it was in my opinion.
Although that fight with The Russian might not have lasted as long because Stevenson is a pretty big dude himself…
You get a glimpse of this in the very beginning when he sneaks up behind that guard in front of the mobsters’ mansion and he’s TOWERING over him…
So the Tom Jane film is boring and he looks nothing like the character,,, ok ok.
Ok I’ll keep that in mind,,,
Sheesh I’m glad I didn’t pay for this copy,,,
@ Ken J
Great post..Thanks
@ Ken J
I love me a good vigilante film, in fact they’re my favorite type of stories but PWZ still sucks.
I can see you feel real personal about the Punisher, that’s great! But I’m here to talk about movies not your own personal justice philosophy and I definitely don’t think the world would be better if people, say, like you got some guns and killed whoever they deem ‘bad’. I don’t think any one person is good enough to judge all others. I mean how good can you really be?
You don’t murder or steal, well that’s great but far from being perfect. And if you are not perfect, what gives you the right to judge others?
I don’t expect you to agree but maybe you can be open-minded enough to think about that.
“There are men,” wrote Aristotle, “so godlike, so exceptional, that they naturally, by right of their extraordinary gifts, transcend all moral judgment or constitutional control: There is no law which embraces men of that caliber: they are themselves law.”
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