The blood, the guts, the big screen entertainment

Ray Stevenson plays Frank Castle, aka the Punisher; and waging his one man war on underground crime, Castle has his sights set on the cocky boss Russoti (Dominic West). Upon scarring Russoti to a permanent disfigurement, Castle unveils a new breed of maniac known as "Jigsaw" (how creative... not!), and building an army of men to defend his quest for revenge, Jigsaw, and eventually the FBI, have the Punisher squeezed between two brick walls. And the only way out for Castle will be to blast his way through both of them simultaneously. Plot exists, but only as a secondary tool while the action takes care of the rest.

While the majority of viewers panned the 2004 Punisher, starring Thomas Jane, I actually found it rather passable; especially considering the fact that it was done with a shameful budget of $15 million (seriously, who in the right state of mind can possibly think that a sum like that is enough for a comic book film?), but 'War Zone' basically starts the whole series over, and since the comic books were always a little more cartoonish and gritty than typical splash panels, I really can't knock on this film for looking the same way. It's wild, it's crazy, and it couldn't care less... so why should any of us?

Amidst all the bloody chaos that encompasses its short frame, there is one key factor that aids in the thrilling mood of the film, and that's the performance of Ray Stevenson. Thomas Jane looked the part, and had all the right ingredients to create a realistic Punisher with torn feelings, but Stevenson is like a snake. He is silent, quick, insanely ruthless, and completely invulnerable to everything around him. And while he takes a great deal of pride in his gun-controlled power, he still has time to be creative with his annihilations; even if he has to repair his own broken nose with a sharp pencil... don't ask, just be prepared!

I received quite a bit of questionable feedback last year when I gave 'Shoot 'em Up' a solid "A," but it was that particular review that established my primary standards on responding to film: "Regardless of how low its ambitions may be, you can't hate a film that does exactly what it wants to do." 'Shoot 'em Up' was spectacular for its cocky one-liners and the utmost respect that it had for carrots (you'll have to watch it to understand); 'Punisher: War Zone' is utterly satisfying for its structure. And even if that's pretty much it, therein again lies my point. Does this movie achieve its goal? Without question. Does it accentuate itself? Probably not... but who gives a damn?

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Dec 5 2008. Filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry