PUNISHER: WAR ZONE Film Critique

Ray Stevenson? Didn't he sing "Everything Is Beautiful"?



There really hasn’t been a true guilty pleasure for me in 2008. There have been some fantastic films and there have been some terrible films, but there haven’t been any films that were so bad they were good. Until now. “Punisher: War Zone” is a remake of a remake of a comic book adaptation – the whole ‘third times the charm’ scenario for Marvel Comics, with Lionsgate once again on board. The film is directed by former martial arts champion Lexi Alexander whose last film, “Green Street Hooligans”, is one of the most underrated macho films ever made. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her short film, “Johnny Flynton”, a film about boxing. So, the girl knows how to direct action and lots of people are calling her the new Kathryn Bigelow. What she does with “Punisher: War Zone” is admirable. She takes a franchise that has been such a disappointment to comic book fans and injects a little life into it. She threw caution to the wind and decided to make the craziest, bloodiest, most honest-to-god “Punisher” film ever made, and one of the most violent comic book adaptations ever. Alexander knows what this film is and she plays it up, but what helps her is the fact that she has some great actors, some lush set design and art direction and one hell of an eye for action. This is, without a doubt, my guiltiest of guilty pleasures for this year.

Forget the previous “Punisher” films. This picture opens with Frank Castle aka Punisher (Ray Stevenson) unleashing a can of unholy hell on a group of gangsters, including the egomaniacal Billy Russoti (Dominic West), hideously disfiguring him. In the process, The Punisher accidentally kills an FBI agent, which attracts the attention of that agents partner, Budiansky (Colin Salmon). Budiansky joins forces with Detective Soap (Dash Mihok), the head of the Punisher Task Force, to help bring Frank Castle to justice. Castle is ripped apart by guilt over the agent’s death, having killed one of the good guys, and he even contemplates leaving the world of The Punisher behind. Meanwhile, Billy is now referring to himself as Jigsaw, has sprung his batshit insane brother Loony Bin Jim (Doug Hutchison) from the nuthouse and is planning to find his money and do whatever it takes to get his revenge on Frank Castle. The film ends with a showdown between Castle and Jigsaw in an old abandoned hotel, complete with more bullets than a gun supply store and more blood than most Troma films. Wayne Knight co-stars as Micro, The Punisher’s tech guy and arms dealer. You’d think Knight would be serving as the comic relief, but you’d be incorrect – those honors belong to the films two villains.

Let me start off my saying that this film looks like a “Punisher” film should look. The problem with the previous two films was that they both approached the material from the wrong angle. The Dolph Lungren “Punisher” was too over-the-top Stallone-esque and lacked any and all credibility with the comic book legion. The Thomas Jane “Punisher” tried too much for realism and lost all comic book mentality in the translation, except for an insanely Jack Nicholson-esque performance from John Travolta. This “Punisher” meets in the middle. Ray Stevenson is the perfect choice for this role because he has such a mute expression and such subtle displays of emotion. He doesn’t underplay the role and he doesn’t overplay the role. He looks menacing, he feels menacing, but yet you can sympathize with the man for what he’s been through. The landscape and the world Alexander creates is just fantastic – with bright, vivid colors enhancing dark and dreary structures – making a church look more like a Vegas showplace. This is the way a film like this should look. All of the structures look far older than they should and the New York City created is one that rivals Gotham City in terms of Dario Argento-esque collision of color and chrome. The city takes on a life of its own.

The other exciting thing about this “Punisher” film is the choice of villains. Dominic West is fantastic here as Jigsaw and just chews up the scenery throughout. He has so much fun with this role and really creates a multi-dimensional character. This is one of the most complete performances from a villain in a comic book adaptation that I’ve seen. Doug Hutchison is also tons of fun as West’s sadistic brother. Hutchison overdoes the accent, but I think that’s the point. They are both overdoing the accent, but there really are people who talk like that, as ridiculous as it sometimes sounds. These two villains also serve as the comic relief for the film, especially in a sequence when they’re walking around to various neighborhoods, recruiting gangsters and criminals. West has a nice speech in front of a projected American flag that is quite nice. And I should mention that it was nice to see Dash Mihok in an unusual role for him, and Wayne Knight in a role that doesn’t do a whole lot, but shows Wayne Knight might have a career revival ahead. The rest of the performances are solid also – “Punisher: War Zone” benefits from a host of strong performances because everyone understands that is going on and everyone seems to be on the same page as director Lexi Alexander with the material.

What a surprise this was for me. I was expecting “Punisher: War Zone” to be just another lame comic book adaptation, especially considering it is a remake of a remale of a comic book adaptation. “Punisher: War Zone” blew me away with how tongue-in-cheek it handled so much of the material. My favorite scene in the film comes with three rooftop jumpers and the Punisher giving them a little surprise. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see the film. “Punisher: War Zone” proves that there is hope for this franchise, even though the film made such little money its opening weekend that I doubt we will be seeing a sequel, unless it heads straight to DVD. That is a real shame. Director Lexi Alexander finally gave me a Frank Castle to root for. She finally gave me a villain that didn’t seem like a complete and utter vanity project. She finally have me the Wayne Knight comeback I’ve been waiting for. “Punisher: War Zone” is not a great film. By many standards it’s not even a good film. It’s a guilty pleasure. But I will recommend the hell out of it to each and every one of you.

Ray Stevenson (Frank Castle/The Punisher)
Dominic West (Billy Russoti/Jigsaw)
Doug Hutchison (Loony Bin Jim)
Colin Salmon (Paul Budiansky)
Dash Mihok (Martin Soap)
Wayne Knight (Micro)
Julie Benz (Angela Donatelli)

Director: Lexi Alexander

RATED R


AND A HALF