Customer Reviews

Punisher: War Zone (Two-Disc Special Edition)

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(44)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

For anyone who ever read any Punisher comics growing up, or still are as adults, then they can attest that they are constantly full of violence, blood, guts and gore, and very light on comedy. Fantastic Four, The X-Men, and The Hulk CANNOT be compared to The Punisher in anyway, so if someone watches these other Marvel movies and likes them, then attempts to watch this newest Punisher movie expecting the same lighthearted cartoon violence and humor, then it would have been like going to the polls and actually thinking a vote for McCain would've meant something (oops, too soon?). Getting back on topic, out of the 3 actors who've starred as the title character, Ray Stevenson has looked the MOST like the Punisher during the War Zone story arc. He was big, gritty, gruff, and not clean shaven. He wasn't a pretty boy like Thomas Jane, and he wasn't some eastern bloc pinko like Dolph Lundgren (seriously, who the hell casted him?! Jesse Ventura would've even been a better choice!)

So in short, I'm giving this movie 5 stars, because as a true Punisher fan, this movie is the closest to the comics as any of the movies. The first movie was beyond pathetic. The second was good, in fact much of the plot taken directly out of Punisher comics, but way too much humor injected into it and not enough action. This movie has all the action, blood, and death, plus Jigsaw, The Punisher's arch-nemesis. OH, and by the way, Jigsaw has been around since the 1980s...he wasn't invented after the filming of the Saw movies, so if you think his name was ripped from other movies, well, you're an idiot.

So for those of you who also truly loved the Punisher back in the old days, watch this movie! And you'll know exactly what I mean when I say...until The Punisher throws away his guns and takes on an appeasement approach...MAKE MINE MARVEL!!!

DON'T LISTEN to the negative reviews. SEE THIS MOVIE, although not with kids around that's for sure (Hard R for violence and cursing but no nudity).

If you're an action fan who has been craving for a non stop and over the top intense action movie, say no more and watch this movie!

If copious amounts of gun action blood, guts and gore is what you've been dying to see infused into an action movie, this is your train, GET ONBOARD and don't look back!

This movie kicks other action movies butts and asks questions later! It even has MORE (and well done) GORE than most HORROR movies!

Don't get me wrong, the new Friday the 13th Remake was fun but it can't hold a candle to the carnage that takes place in Punisher: War Zone!

Now, enough talk about the carnage that the Punisher dishes out, how about the rest of the movie.

Mostly based on the Punisher MAX ultra violent comic series, this movie holds true to the grittiness of that series therefore it's no great surprise that the movie is over the top, what is a shocker is that the filmakers had the courage to stick with it and deliver in spades what most Punisher fans were clamoring for! Good story, cool good guys, nasty villians, lots of explosive action and no boring parts! The music soundtrack and sound effects were also very enjoyable.

Put it this way, I'm a fan and I ain't complaining that's for sure. If anything, i'm taking the time to write this wacky review...woot!

The 2004 Punisher was a decent enough action movie however this is THE definative Punisher movie and the one I would take onto my desert island.

The Dark Knight was an excellent movie for adults, Iron Man was an excellent movie for adults and kids, Punisher is an AWESOME BAD *** FUN movie for adults and young adults (if that makes any sense).

That's the big difference for me when compared to The Dark Knight, PWZ (as I like to call it) is a very FUN movie to watch. I forgot what a 100% FUN movie was like until this one reminded me!

Iron Man was also fun, more than TDK that's for sure but Punisher definately has it beat in that department for me.

The Joker would fit in nicely in this movie just as well but he wouldn't be the only nut job, he would be one of many awesome bad dudes in this flick!

It's a shame what happened to this movie in the Box Office, it didn't deserve its fate. It's definately worth spending the few bucks it costs to watch it and I hope that the actors, director Lexi Alexander and Marvel, heck even Lionsgate, recoup their financial and career investments.

Let me end by saying this, I'm not going into detail because my desire is not to ruin this movie for anyone but there are scenes in this movie that are groundbreaking and have never been filmed in the manner they were done here.

When I say that Punisher crosses the line and does stuff which will make your jaw drop, i'm not joking. I wish i could let it out but you'll see for yourselves just how crazy this move is!

Remember, no little kiddies though.

Hey, can you tell that I liked it, and my name isn't even Mikey....go figure.

Good Job Lexi, Ray, Dominic, Doug, Julie, Wayne and Marvel plus Lionsgate....Thanks for a FUN movie, box office be damned!

The Punisher finally.....well, you know...PUNISHES!

Hope you enjoyed this review from the heart.

Hey Lex, Ray..you know...Marvel, call me sometime, we'll do lunch.....LOL!

Peace!

The Punisher... the name itself conjures up a simple image... a muscular man toting what seems like an endless amount of weaponry, killing criminals at every chance in every possible way, while displaying his trademark skull on his chest. What the Punisher is not is a philosophical person. He doesn't contemplate what he's doing, he doesn't question the ethics or morals of each kill. He merely pulls the trigger.

Now this movie has it's ups and downs. I wouldn't be fair without saying that I was a bit biased before I saw this movie in the theater and again on DVD. Having been a follower of the Punisher from the early 90's I've seen it all. I've read the old Spider Man comics with the Punisher... I've watched the old Dolph Lundgren Punisher movie... the Thomas Jane version... and everything in between. I was happy when this movie was brought to life.

You have to know a few things before watching this movie to give it a fair chance. First off, it's not a sequel to anything. It's a completely new Punisher. It doesn't follow any other film previously released. Second, it's based on the War Zone comics in the style of the MAX series of Punisher comics. This means that it's supposed to be violent, gritty, and unrelenting.

What is the Punisher: War Zone (the movie)? It's an unflinching, action-packed, destructive, kill fest. Exactly how the Punisher should be portrayed. He's a vigilante. He may have followed the laws before... but he's so far from reality at this point (having been through Vietnam, lost his family, etc) that his only goal is to kill those that need to be punished. He's lost his faith in the judicial system and goes out to rectify the problem.

This movie does a fantastic job with portraying the Punisher as the fans have always wanted him. You'll get those few that are still butthurt about this and that. You can't please everyone. But this movie is dark, twisted, and exactly as it should be.

Now it's come up many times... so let's touch on it. The Thomas Jane Punisher movie was a 2/5 (star) flick at best. The effects were garbage, the acting HORRIBLE, and the plot was so far outside of the realm of the Punisher that I can't even begin to explain it. I think Thomas Jane was far too much of a pretty boy to do that role while Ray Stevenson hit it perfectly. He has the perfect body size, speech, and facial expressions that I believe he's the Punisher when I see him.

So with all that said... go get this movie. I'm disappointed that this film didn't capture enough of the box office to really put it ahead of some of this other crap being produced. It's a fun movie... it's an action packed adventure... and it's the perfect portrayal of the Punisher. If that's not enough to buy this movie or at least borrow it from a friend... then there's no hope for you.

Oh and just so there's no confusion. I rated this a 4/5 because while it was what I hoped for, it did lack in some areas. I would like to have seen more of the Punisher (the run time was a killer for the amount of content they could have gotten into it).

Ok, lets start off with the fact this is not King Lear or Hamlet. This doesn't go into deep philisophical questions about people's motivations for revenge.

It say what it does on the tin. Man's family is killed, something snaps and he just wants to kill/Punish people who he holds responsible.

Its a kill fest. The scene where the Policeman says "I'm taking him in" and Frank just kills him sums it up. This is gory, violent and takes you to the edge os what is acceptable, but that is what the Comic and the Punisher is about.

Don't waste your time on negative reviews for this film, because the chances are they have never read the comic, or even heard of the Punisher. This is a generational thing. Either you get it, or you don't.

Great Film and defintely worth buying. Much better than the predecessors.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Thomas Jane's turn as Frank Castle in 2004's "The Punisher," a part of me wanted the title character to get just a bit nastier, a bit dirtier and a heck of a lot more violent. Enter Ray Stevenson (Titus Pullo of "Rome"), a bigger, badder version of Frank Castle. Not only does Stevenson fully claim the role of the Punisher in "Punisher: War Zone," he dominates every scene he is in.

In "Punisher: War Zone," we are given a reboot of the Punisher's origin. Via brief (and well executed) flashbacks, the audience learns that Frank Castle has a huge chip on his shoulder since the murder of his family after they witness a mob hit. He declares a one man war against all criminals, from the lowest pickpocket to the toughest crime boss.

When he accidentally kills an undercover agent while dishing out swift and violent punishment, he decides to turn in his guns. However, newly crowned crime boss Billy "The Beaut" Russoti survives an attack from the Punisher (albeit with a severely disfigured face), and Castle is forced back on the job.

Russoti (who now goes by the name "Jigsaw") decides to murder the wife and daughter of the undercover agent that Castle accidentally killed. He goes to the local asylum and picks up his brother, James "Loony Bin Jim" Russoti and asks him to help him on his mission.

From there, the film is filled with brutal beatings, decapitations, a hint of cannibalism and Frank Castle violently eliminating any and every dirtbag in his way as he tries to stop Jigsaw and LBJ from killing the dead agent's family. It's not rocket science, but hunting down and killing bad guys is what the Punisher has always done, so I wasn't expecting some emotional tour de force from the film.

Overall, this film is the truest to the comics so far. Stevenson LOOKS like Frank Castle and director Lexi Alexander couldn't have chosen a better person for the role. Dominic West hams it up a bit as Jigsaw, but his demented villain is a perfect foil to the Punisher. LBJ, a character created specifically for the film, is portrayed by Doug Hutchison (perhaps best known as Percy from "The Green Mile"). Hutchison is even more twisted as LBJ than West is as Jigsaw and, to be quite honest, steals the screen from Castle's primary enemy. Wayne Knight (Newman of "Seinfeld") plays Microchip, Castle's weapons supplier and main source of moral support. Colin Salmon does a good job as FBI agent Budiansky. Julie Benz plays the deceased agent's wife and Stephanie Janusauskas plays her daughter. Rounding out the primary players is Dash Mihok as Soap, head of the "Punisher Task Force" and a friend of Castle.

Director Alexander makes sure there are plenty of kills in the film, and spared no expense when it came to buckets of blood, explosives and some very well done puppets. It was nice to see almost no CGI in a film for once. "War Zone" is also filled with plenty of hard hitting music. The soundtrack only adds to the violent atmosphere of the film.

Is "War Zone" perfect? Not at all. However, it's the best Punisher flick so far and hopefully a sequel will find its way to the big screen in the future. As stated before, Ray Stevenson owns this role and has set the bar high for any of his future potential replacements.

I recommend this film to fans of the "Punisher" comics, action flick fans, gore hounds and anyone who likes plenty of 'splosions. The R-rating is well deserved thanks to a ton of strong language and violent and gory action. Fanboys rejoice.

I'd give Punisher: War Zone 3.5 stars if I could, as it is definitely better than the 2004 treatment starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta, and stands as the most faithful screen treatment that good 'ol Frank has gotten yet. Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome) stars as Frank Castle this time around, who after accidentally killing an undercover FBI agent during one of his latest bullet-ridden sprees, seeks to give up being the Punisher. However, hideously scarred mobster Jigsaw (The Wire's Dominic West) has different plans for Frank, including taking out the late fed's wife (Dexter's Julie Benz) and daughter (Stephanie Janusauskas). Directed by Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans), Punisher: War Zone is ridiculously violent almost to the point of turning into a live-action cartoon, and still manages to retain most of the tone of Garth Ennis' excellent run on the comic. Stevenson is definitely the most physically imposing actor to play the Punisher, and is the best one above all as well. The rest of the acting however is almost comical, with West and Doug Hutchison, who plays Jigsaw's cannibal brother Loony Bin Jim, going so far over the top that you can't help but laugh. The film's dialogue and script don't help matters any, but the bloody action sequences are done well and are worth seeing the film for alone. Despite its flaws though, Punisher: War Zone still manages to be pretty entertaining, and is definitely the most satisfying adaptation that the character has received yet. Fans of Ennis' run on Punisher MAX and action-flick fans will find much to admire here, and in the end, that's really all that need apply here.

The previous Punishers were always a disappointment for me: I feel Thomas Jane was a phenomenal Punisher in the 04 version, but the movie itself was all over the place stylistically and, as an origin story, was pedestrian, while the Dolph Lundgren version was more focused, yet still was unconvincing as a Punisher story. This movie surprised the hell out of me with the amount of violence and gore, and what surprised me even more was that it all fit and all worked. This IS The Punisher: unrelenting and unstoppable. It goes down in this movie, and I'm thrilled to see the studio didn't hold back. There's no prospect of salvation here - only a doomed walk towards damnation and death. This Punisher sees that and just keeps walking. It loses a couple of points for Ray Stevenson's inability to emote well, along with the neo-metal soundtrack, which connotes this is purely for the 15-year-old Monster-swilling crowd. It ain't. It may not be perfect, but I think this may be the most satisfying Punisher adaptation yet. Oh, and Dash Mihok gets a lot of screen time - always good.

Now this is a review for the whole DVD, not just the movie, so on to the packaging. The single-disc version comes with a pretty standard paperboard slipcase, which is cool, and I think the artwork on this puppy looks better than that on the 2-disc version, but that's all this has going for it. The DVD is a flipper disc, which means no artwork and twice as likely to get scratched.

Beyond that, the DVD case is something called an "Eco Box," which has the same dimensions as a regular DVD case, but has sections of the black part of the case cut out to reduce the use of plastic in packaging. Brothers and sisters, I'm all for companies being more environmentally conscious when it comes to packaging, but this is the case we're talking about, and honestly, it looks terrible - I switched mine to a regular case immediately. Some logical environmental changes, such as use of cellulose in place of plastic, reduction of security tabs (this one had two), or using recycled plastic cases would make more sense to me.

So, I honestly thought the movie was pretty tight, but I have an inherent aversion to flipper discs - to get the movie with a printed disc, go for the 2-disc version. Just be aware that version is also packaged in an "Eco Box."

This is the third movie about Marvel's vigilante hero known as the Punisher. First, he was played by Dolph Lundgren in 1989 and then Thomas Jane in 2004. "Punisher: War Zone" is not so much a sequel to either of those films, but rather a reboot of the series in an attempt to jump start it once again. The Punisher, a.k.a. Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson), aided and abetted by Micro (Wayne Knight), is trying to take out a gangster named Billy (Dominic West), who ends up in a tub of broken glass. Billy survives, but his face is sliced to ribbon and he adopts the more appropriate name of Jigsaw. That is bad enough news for the Punisher, but even worse is his realization that one of Billy's henchmen that he gunned down is an undercover cop, who leaves behind a widow, Angela (Julie Benz with black hair), and daughter (Stephanie Janusauskas). Since Frank Castle became the Punisher when his family was gunned down for witnessing a mob execution, this hits home with Frank. So the Punisher is after Jigsaw, who breaks his equally looney brother Loony Bin Jim (Doug Hutchinson) out of prison. Jigsaw is after the Punisher, as is Paul Budiansky (Colin Salmon), a by-the-book cop who has no tolerance for vigilantes. Menawhile, a guilt-ridden Frank reaches out to Angela, who also becomes a target to Jigsaw. Along the way, the Punisher kills a whole lot of bad guys.

When I heard Ray Stevenson was taking over the role of the Punisher I thought it was a good choice, since I loved his work as Titus Pullo in HBO's "Rome," a television series I have liked as much as any I have ever seen. Plus I remembered Stevenson from "King Arthur," so certainly he has the physical presence that the role requires and makes quite an impact in the opening scenes of the movie, where he is required to say little and communicates much with a look. Then he starts opening his mouth and the character starts to deteriorate because of the script, which was written by Nick Santora ("The Longshots") and the team of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway ("Iron Man"). The more Frank Castle talks, the less it works for the character; what works for Tony Stark, does not for Frank Castle. Then there is the gangster dialogue that is being spouted by the bad guys, and partly because of that and also because of Jigsaw's sewn up mug, I started to think there was some sort of homage going on to "Dick Tracy," which is what clued me in to what derails this film.

Frank Castle's story is tragic and the circumstances with Angela and her daughter brings all of that pain back to the Punisher. Beyond that, the Punisher is not a tradition (read: "glib") Marvel superhero (I seem to recall a time when Spider-Man thought the Punisher had told a joke, but could not bring himself to belief it). The Punisher lets his guns do the talking. He is a serious dude, arguably one of the most serious characters in the Marvel universe. But in this 2008 movie he is up against a couple of fairly cartoonish villains. There is a dictum that says it is not a movie's hero but a movie's villain that elevates it to greatness, and characters from Hannibal Lecter to the most recent version of the Joker evidence the idea. Jigsaw and his kid brother do not fit the bill as great villains, nor do they belong in the somber world of the Punisher. Director Lexi Alexander ("Green Street Hooligans") does a competent job in making this movie and the action sequences deliver blood and violence without constantly taking advantage of CGI, but the characters and dialogue presented by the script hamstring this movie. This probably dooms any chance of a sequel, but probably puts off the next reboot of the Punisher for eight years or so.

I wasn't expecting too much out of Punisher:War Zone after hearing mixed reactions to the movie when it was released in theaters. But, being a fan of The Punisher comic & of the previous movies, I was curious to see how this one fared so I bought it. Man, let me tell you--I was quite surprised to see this version of The Punisher wasn't watered down like the previous installments. Oh no, my friend....it is filled with wall-to-wall kills. I'm not talking about the garden-variety either. These are some of the inventive kind just like in the comic book. My jaw dropped when I saw what I saw in the movie. This is the kinda Punisher movie I've been waiting on.

The film is an original telling of Frank Castle's war on crime and corruption rather than a sequel to 2004's The Punisher. It is the first film to be produced under the Marvel Knights production banner, which will focus on films for more mature audiences, which according to Marvel will be a handful of them. The story itself takes place about five or six years into his being The Punisher. The whole town knows of his exploits. When he brutally assaults a party for notorious mob boss Gaitano Cesare, he is alerted to the fact that Billy Russoti has escaped to his recycling plant hideout. Castle invades Russoti's hideout and murders Nicky Donatelli as he exits the bathroom. This alerts Russoti and he tries to make a run for it. A brief fire fight between Castle and Russoti ensues, ending in Russoti being thrown into a glass-crushing machine which ends up leaving the gangster hideously disfigured, thus making him into Jigsaw. Castle, who has taken cover behind the body of Donatelli, realizes that the man he killed was an undercover FBI Agent. Distraught by what he has done, he tries to make things right with the man's wife and child, to no avail. He then plans to give up his life as The Punisher. However, upon hearing information from his partner and armorer, Microchip, his plans quickly change once he learns that Jigsaw has learned of Donatelli's family's existence, and will be going after them for revenge. It is time for The Punisher to do what he does best...Punish! And, that my friend, he does!!!

Ray Stevenson's performance as the Punisher is the closest anyone has ever come to The Punisher from the comic. He even looks like the comic version of Frank Castle. Don't get me wrong, I loved Thomas Jane's version but this one I loved even more. Other stellar performances by Dominic West(The Wire) and Doug Hutchison(who some of you might remember as Percy Wetmore in The Green Mile) make this movie even more great.

So, what do I have to say to you about the movie? Well, get this movie. It's a really good movie. Besides, I'd love to see Ray Stevenson return as The Punisher again. The only way that is going to happen is if DVD sales do well and I hope they do. Be warned, though, this movie ain't your usual Marvel Superhero fare...so, don't let kids watch it. It is brutal to the core. Which is why I love it so much, lol!

The two-disc special edition includes:Audio commentary with Director Lexi Alexander and Director of Photography Steve Gainer, The Making of Punisher: War Zone, Meet Jigsaw, The Weapons of the Punisher, Training to Become the Punisher, Creating the Look of the Film,(which are all featurettes) plus the theatrical trailer and looks at other movies from Lionsgate(one of which I'd like to mention..The Burrowers).

The professional reviewers who state that this movie is a turkey and was a waste of celluloid are just plain cuckoo. This movie rocks, I love it!!

I think the reason that this film has such a great review (4.0/5) is because the only ones that would even watch this film are the ones that loves the punisher. It's more of a fan-film than a real film much like the first hulk. I enjoyed it, my friends loved it, but there were like only 10 people in the theatre. it got a low percentile in rotten tomato cuz this film is not for everyone. It's definitely not for people who loves romantic flicks but it suited me. I believe that his film wouldn't be rated below 4 stars on amazon. LET'S GO PUNISHER!!!!