Time: 103 Minutes
Cast:
Ray Stevenson as Frank Castle/The Punisher
Wayne Knight as Linus Lieberman/Microchip
Colin Salmon as FBI Agent Paul Budiansky
Doug Hutchison as James Russoti/”Loony Bin Jim”/”LBJ”
Dominic West as Billy “The Beaut” Russoti/Jigsaw
Dash Mihok as Detective Martin Soap
Director: Lexi Alexander

Frank Castle, aka The Punisher (Ray Stevenson), turns the streets of New York City red as he wages a one man war against the crime syndicate responsible for the death of his wife and two kids. Aided by his trusted sidekick, Microchip (Wayne Knight), he almost kills Billy Russoti (Dominic West) and leaves him horribly disfigured. Billy renames himself Jigsaw and with the help of his crazed brother Loony Bin Jim, recruits criminals from every corner of the city to do battle with Frank.

I distinctly remember when I first watched Punisher: War Zone some years ago. I didn’t really think that it was good, but it was entertaining enough that I was prepared to say that I liked it. Some time later however, I noticed that it had something of a following, so I decided to give it another watch. I liked it much more this time.

The script definitely isn’t the strongest; the writing is trashy with bad dialogue. It’s very over the top, but that helped with the very pulpy tone and feel. It is very silly with cartoonish Italian mobsters and henchmen who love doing parkour. It is so ludicrously edgy, in fact it is a strong contender for the edgiest comic book movie ever. The brutality and violence are on an absurd level, this is a movie where the Punisher punches a hole in someone’s face. It’s also a very lean and simple film; protagonist Frank Castle’s past with his wife and child being murdered is referenced but it sort of expects you to know that detail already. It keeps the movie moving at a good pace, and I was entertained throughout.

The late Ray Stevenson plays Frank Castle/The Punisher here, and he’s probably my favourite version of the character in a film, and rivals Jon Bernthal as my favourite interpretation of the character in live action. This is the most brutal and monstrous version of the character, cold and calculating while being a physical powerhouse. Stevenson conveys the silent brutality, grit and haunting feeling, while maintaining a sense of vulnerability and humanity. He’s paired against the frantic performances of the main villains played by Dominic West and Doug Hutchinson, who do very well in their parts. West as Jigsaw is especially a standout. He’s a fun villain and appropriately plays it loud, chaotic, eccentric and unpredictable. It also helps that the makeup for Jigsaw is really good. Much of the supporting cast including Wayne Knight, Julie Benz, Dash Mithok and Colin Salmon perform their roles well too. The rest of the acting can be a little hammy, but it adds to the tone and feel of the movie.

Lexi Alexander’s direction is a big reason why the movie works so well. You can definitely tell that the budget is small at $35 million, and it is somewhat cheap looking, but that felt appropriate for the rest of the movie. The colours are oversaturated, and I thought that it was a very fitting look for the Punisher. The action is also very entertaining, well shot and well choreographed. This is by far the most brutal on screen version of the character, delivering on the gore and splatterfest.

Punisher: War Zone is brutal, pulpy and over the top, with entertaining action sequences, and Ray Stevenson made for an excellent Punisher. It’s very much a cult classic and won’t be for everyone. However, if you enjoy absurdly violent 80s action flicks, you’ll probably find something to like here.