I’m not proud of this but I have to say, I enjoyed Punisher: War Zone. Mind you, this is a film that features a heinous character pulling the kidneys
out of a poor victim and eating them, a moment in which the hero puts his fist
literally through a bad guy’s face, as well as scenes involving exploding heads, decapitations and
impalements. That’s right: it’s the holiday film you’ve been waiting for.
So, you may be asking, “What’s there here to even like or recommend?” In many ways, War Zone is indefensible, yet its brand of violence is so over the top it can’t be taken seriously. The script itself is filled with one darkly comic moment
after another which are outrageous to the point of laughter. When one of the
main villains is named Loony Bin Jim, you gotta giggle a bit.
Credit director Lexi Alexander for putting together some of the most imaginative
action sequences in recent memory, set against a modern noir backdrop that
drips with corruption and despair. Equally impressive is Ray Stevenson who does
justice to the character of Frank Castle. Armed with 10 lines of dialogue and
an arsenal most third world countries would envy, the actor realizes this
vigilante from the Marvel Comics universe as he should be: vicious, merciless
and unsympathetic to the plight of the hundreds of members of the Cosa Nostra
and various other gang members he takes out with impunity.
The plot is as deep as a puddle but mention must be made of Dominic West’s work as the villain Jigsaw. Sporting a makeup job reminiscent of I Am a Teenage Frankenstein, due to his character’s unfortunate encounter with a glass grinding machine, the actor relishes in
rending the scenery at every turn, gnashing his teeth, snapping necks and
making a general nuisance of himself. Between his acting and the Punisher’s penchant for riddling every room he’s in with bullet holes, there’s not much left of any set by the end of the film.
Obviously, Punisher: War Zone isn’t for every taste and for those of you with more delicate sensibilities, well I’m sure you can find Four Christmases playing right down the hall at the multiplex. However, if you’ve been hankering for a movie featuring the repeated sight of splattered brains,
a plastic surgeon who pulls out metal staples and horsehide for his special
clients and a pleasant chap described as an “old country genocidal maniac,” this flick is for you. Just be sure you take a long, hot shower afterwards.
This article appears in Dec 4-10, 2008.
