Punisher: War Zone

Directed by: Lexi Alexander 

Starring: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Julie Benz, Doug Hutchison, Colin Salmon

One of the problems with the last Punisher film was the sometimes pantomime nature of the acting, especially from Travolta who hammed it up to ridiculous standards. The film just wasn't dark enough to really be classed as Punisher. So, I suppose that in complaining about this frivolity, then we got what we deserved with War Zone! 

Out goes Thomas Jane (who was a great choice in the role of Frank Castle in the last film), and in comes tougher, meatier Ray Stevenson. Admittedly he fits the bill nicely, having the look, physique, and acting chops to play a one-man army with a troubled past. Out go the puns and jokier aspects, and the cliche thugs (Russian Sailor, Mexican Mariachi, etc), and in come Italian mobsters, and gangs of Russian nuts, Irish hardcases, etc. At the same time the film throws all caution to the wind and aims squarely for the pulsing jugular, intending to shower in blood. Yes, this Punisher is not for the squeamish as limbs are snapped, heads chopped, faces minced, eyes gouged - you name it, it is in here! Sadly the over-the-top nature of the film takes away from the rest of the story, and it all becomes just another blood fuelled action film. 

Fans of the comics will be torn between liking Stevenson in the role, and appreciating the attention to detail, and then hating the theatrics and showboating of scenes such as the 'chandolier swinging gunplay'. Bizarrely what would make it work better for the comic book fans would be a journal style voice-over, filling in some depth to the vacuous excesses. Without it the film degenerates swiftly into one mindless action scene after another. 

Stevenson is the only person involved who seems to be taking this all seriously, as the rest of thte cast just appear to have turned up as they had some bills to pay. This time, however, it isn't over-cooked performances, but lazy and uninspired ones. If we are meant to care when people close to Castle are put in danger, well the film misses the mark entirely! 

War Zone is an example of what happens when fanboys complain about things missing from comic book films - we get it delivered to us. Last time this happened was Spider-Man 3 when the fans got Venom. As with that mistake all it managed to showcase is how two-dimensional the characters in the comics actually are.