PUNISHER: WAR ZONE (2008)

Cast: Ray Stevenson, Colin Salmon, Julie Benz, Dash Mihok, Dominic West, Doug Hutchinson, Wayne Knight, Keram Malicki-Sanchez, Ron Lea

Directed By: Lexi Alexander
Written By: Nick Santora & Art Marcum & Matt Holloway
Cinematography By: Steve Gainer
Editor: William Yeh

This is yet another attempt to make and launch the punisher as a viable comic book movie series. Now I will admit I liked the last one even though it delved away from the original source. This film has ray Stevenson playing frank castle and while he has the look he just doesn’t seem to have emotions to make his punisher not only believable but likeable which brings up the idea that are awe supposed to really like a glorified vigilante who goes after his prey while not letting anything stand in his way.

If this film had been made in the 80’s it would have been passable. Come on the monkey gang a bunch of meth head acrobatic goons who are lead by a dreadlocked black guy with a Scottish accent. That shows you what type of film this is. The film plays exactly like a comic book way over the top to the point of being ridiculous and half the actors perform that way especially the villains dominic west playing jigsaw chews the Scenery left and right. While seeming to be n his own 1930’s Gangster movie. So does his right hand man crazy brother played by the always overacting doug Hutchinson who at least always seems to be having fun.

Even the backgrounds and locations just feel like a set or are on a lot almost like cardboard scenery in a school play nothing in this movie feels real at all. The action sequences while they are impressive just seem to be there for the gratuitous violence half of it not needed or not needed to be shown as much as it is. I men come on the punisher puches a guy in the face and his fist goes right through the guys skull. To show how unnatural the movie is the beginning and the creation of the villain Jigsaw feels like it is a variation of Tim burton’s batman creation of the joker.

This film makes every criminal seem like a violent psychopath. And everytime someone gets hit they must bleed a lot. I will give this film credit in that it seems to be a all-star extravaganza of character actors who all need better work then this.

It’s a shame Lexi Alexander started off well with the film “Green Street Hooligans” and I hoped she would continue while showing a great talent for violent scenes but also seeming to handle dramatic ones also. Here she is a natural as a action director but any other scenes are terrible. The Script doesn’t help by giving the punisher a family like hs own that was killed to bond with and protect. She is also one of the few Female directors out there nonetheless directing action films.

But let’s face it if this is the type of film you are interested in and want to watch it doesn’t matter what I say you’ll go to see it and probably love it. To me it’s like watching a midnight movie it is that ridiculous. But it is a time waster. It seems like it should hae gone straight to home video. I guess it’s back to the drawing board for a film that seems like it would be simple enough to make a decent movie from. The fact that this is not a sequel as it was set up to be and none of the cast from the last punisher returned was a hint at how bad this would be. Plus director john Dahl (The Last Seduction) Turned it down right before it was due to be filmed. If it was a sequel they could have had john travolta’s son from the first film comeback seeking vengeance.

Even Doug Hutchinson originally turned it down hating the script but Lexi Alexander called him personally and told him her vision of the film which got him to sign on. Paddy Constantine (In America) Was also cast cast when dominic west turned his role down originally but he changed his mind and paddy was sent packing. He actually should thank Mr. West for saving him from this movie. There was also a r-rated version of the script written by the shield writer Kurt sutter that brung the punisher out of the comic books and into the realistic streets of new york fighting crime. But the studio wanting sequel opputunities decided to go with anther script they had sutter became so disgusted he didn’t even accept a story by credit.

The only nice thing I can say is that the lighting is good and the Production values are not embarrassing. This film has obviously never heard of the term overkill.

Skip It

GRADE: F