Review of Punisher: War Zone (2008) by Thequietgamer — 15 Mar 2018

War Zone has an interesting place in the history of Marvel films. Despite coming out after Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk it is not considered to be part of the MCU. It is also the first of only two films to be produced under Marvel Knights banner. The other being the disappointing Ghost Rider sequel (also not part of the MCU). Rather than a follow up to the 2004 Thomas Jane movie, War Zone also acts as a reboot of The Punisher on the big-screen. While that's a little disappointing and only makes the lack of MCU connections a little confusing, as a standalone Punisher experience it works and Ray Stevenson proves to be an excellent Frank Castle.

The whole thing plays out like a trashy B-movie from the 80's. It's uber-violence is brought to life by impeccable gore and bombastic, occasionally silly action. Rather than retreading the origin story, this version of the Punisher has been active for at least four years. He's already built up his reputation, his allies, and his arsenal. This allows the film to get straight to the actual punishing. It's not for the squeamish or those who can't have fun with some exploitation style content. This feels like the kind of grindhouse cinema you could have seen at a drive-in. I mean that as high praise. The pitch black sense of humor keeps War Zone from being too dark and self-serious for it's own good. There are moments so ridiculous and over-the-top they feel like they could have been ripped right from the panels of a Punisher MAX issue. Most of which come courtesy of Dominic West's fantastic performance as the villain "Jigsaw," which carries a mix of comedy and insanity that hasn't been seen since Jack Nicholson portrayed The Joker back in 1989. He's a real highlight of the film.

Punisher: War Zone is a manic throwback to a sleazier style of entertainment. While primarily focused on the violence of the comics as opposed to their more tragic elements, there are still moments that touch of the sympathetic nature of the character by showing that there's still a heart underneath all that rage. Stevenson provides a cold, ruthless, yet strangely emotional take on Frank Castle that gives the movie a killing machine you can't help but root for. To be honest I love this movie unreservedly. Where others are disgusted and appalled, I'm usually delighted. There's no better example of that than this film. It looks fantastic and the only complaint I have is the killing off of a longtime Punisher helper. It just didn't sit too well with me. Yet I'm able to mostly overlook that due to just how cool this torture porn, Marvel anti-hero flick is. Grimy and maybe even a little stupid it may be, but War Zone is also some of the most fun I've ever had with a movie. Plus the soundtrack is fantastic, with tracks from bands like Rise Against, Rob Zombie, and Slipknot. Always a plus.

9.