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Punisher: War ZoneLet me begin this review by saying that I am not a Punisher fan or a reader of Punisher comics. I’ve just never had that much interest in Frank Castle or who he’s blowing away every month. If you were kind enough to listen to our Dollar Bin Theatre show about the last Punisher movie, you might also remember that I didn’t hate it. I know many fans of the character loathe that movie, but I don’t hold quite the same view. To me that movie wasn’t great but was enjoyable for 3 reasons: the first is I like Tom Jane, secondly I liked the guy with the guitar and third it starred one of the greatest performers of our time … Kevin Nash.
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Punisher: Thomas Jane and Kevin Nash
But I know many people, including the folks at Marvel Films, did not feel the same way. They wanted Man on Fire and they got A Man Apart. I can dig that, and understand the desire to go harder edge (or at least attempt to) or more true to the character for the sequel that is not a sequel, much like they tried to do with the Hulk movie earlier this year. But the real questions are did this reboot do the trick? Did they make a better movie on the second try? Did they make a more Punisher-like Punisher movie? Is it possible that they did both at the same time? Am I even the guy to be asking?
Well for the last question maybe not. But let’s continue on with this light on the spoilers review anyway shall we? Immediately I think you notice that Ray Stevenson is a better fit in the look and demeanor departments for this role than Thomas Jane was. There are several shots where he looks like something from a Tim Bradstreet cover and I am sure that is not by accident. There is still a bit of an attempt to humanize our mass murdering hero, but Stevenson does the best he can with those efforts especially since they are as brief as they are hokey. For what it’s worth, I think Stevenson fits the image I have for the Punisher incredibly well. In my opinion any of the failings this film might have doesn’t fall on him or his performance.
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Quick question for movie goers…how does a guy like Wayne Knight get a role in an action movie like this one? The role is not even for the stereo-typical “comic relief” because there really is no attempt at comedy in the entire movie. (Well, except for the Punisher casually strolling around New York City in full gear and body armor.) Nothing against him or his ability, just wondering why cast the standard fat funny guy to not play the fat funny guy. To a certain extent I think that says a lot about my thoughts on the rest of the cast, they are all pretty forgetful other than me wondering how “Newman” got involved. No one’s performance or character stood out and everybody else was just sort of there. And by there I mean usually there just to die a brutal and gruesome death.
This of course brings us to the real star of the film, the gratuitous violence. If you are in the mood to see some people hurt and killed in a variety of horrible ways, then this flick is for you! I thought it was kind of odd that all of the trailers before this movie were for horror movies (like the Spirit for example). Or at least I did until about 30 minutes in when I realized I was in fact watching a horror movie. The only difference being that you are supposed to root for this monster since he is killing the bad guys and not just some teenagers trying to get laid. Frank and friends might not reach a triple digit body count for the film but it is certainly not for lack of trying. There is a lot of blood, quite a bit of gore and lots and lots of dead people. And really except for one dead FBI agent no one bats an eye at any of it and even his own kid gets over it pretty quickly, so good for her.
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The problem is, besides the ultra violence and death dealt out, you really don’t have anything else. I will be shocked if the violence is not at an acceptable level for Punisher fans because it is pretty brutal, kind of like a live action video game. This really brings us back to the horror movie comparison. If you go in wanting more than the violence and gore you’ll be disappointed that there isn’t anything else to the movie. But if that’s your cup of tea, then drink up, you’ve got a full glass called Punisher: War Zone waiting for you. I give this a mild thumbs up because it was well worth my 6 bucks and 2 hours but this won’t be finding its way to my DVD collection.
For more info on the film Punisher: War Zone - http://www.punisherwarzonemovie.com/
For more about Marvel films - http://www.marvel.com/movies