Punisher: War Zone (2008)

After hunting down and killing hundreds of violent criminals, Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, faces his most deadly foe yet: Jigsaw.

Director:

Lexi Alexander

Writers:

Nick Santora, Art Marcum,

Stars:

Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Doug Hutchison

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Stevenson	...	Frank Castle
Dominic West	...	Billy / Jigsaw
Doug Hutchison	...	Loony Bin Jim
Colin Salmon	...	Paul Budiansky
Wayne Knight	...	Micro
Dash Mihok	...	Martin Soap
Julie Benz	...	Angela
Stephanie Janusauskas	...	Grace
Mark Camacho	...	Pittsy
Romano Orzari	...	Nicky
Keram Malicki-Sánchez	...	Ink
Larry Day	...	Agent Miller
Ron Lea	...	Captain Ross
Tony Calabretta	...	Saffiotti
T.J. Storm	...	Maginty

Storyline

Frank Castle, the ex-military man whose family was killed by criminals, who became a vigilante known as the Punisher, goes after a whole mob family and gets everyone except enforcer Billy Russoti. He tracks Russoti down and chases him into a vat that is used for crushing bottles. Frank turns on the crusher hoping it would take care of him but it doesn't. He survives but sustains very severe injuries that even with plastic surgery his face looks like a jigsaw puzzle. So he decides to adopt the name Jigsaw. Frank who killed one of Russoti's people who unknown to him is an undercover Fed, decides to pack it in. But when he learns Russoti didn't die and is looking for the money he entrusted to the Fed and will go looking for it at his home which means his family is in danger. So Frank tries to save them. But Russoti wants revenge on Frank so he breaks out his brother who is so crazed that he is committed to an asylum, to deal with him. And also another Fed who's a friend of the man Frank ...

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Plot Keywords:

vigilante | gore | gangster | cannibalism | cocaine snorting | 

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Taglines:

Vengeance has a name.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong brutal violence, language and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [jp]

Country:

USA Canada Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Punisher 2

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,271,451 (USA) (5 December 2008)

Gross:

$7,948,159 (USA) (19 December 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, Marvel Knights, Marvel Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Doug Hutchison initially passed on the project because he didn't respond to the script nor the role of Looney Bin Jim. Director Lexi Alexander called him to pitch the movie and her vision and, by the end of their phone conversation, Hutchison had already changed his mind and accepted the role.

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Goofs

When the Punisher is walking down a flight of stairs to the subway, the sign behind him reads '13th Street and 5th Avenue.' There is no subway station on 13th Street and 5th Avenue in New York City.

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Quotes

Martin Soap: So when did Donatelli go undercover?
Special Agent Paul Budiansky: We were partners in narcotics. Unfortunately, most of the blow we confiscated ended up in my nose. Internal Affairs tried to get Nicky to rat me out. He wouldn't, so they sent him undercover. He's dead because of me.
Martin Soap: So you still "skiin' the old alps"?
Special Agent Paul Budiansky: No. That's in the past.

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Connections

Version of The Punisher (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Bulletproof"
Written by Kerli and Thomas Who
Performed by Kerli
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

About as good as a bad movie can get

The newest Punisher movie lies at about the extreme of how good a bad movie can get; so bad it's good should be this movies motto. I enjoyed the previous Punisher movie with Thomas Jane as a guilty pleasure and it continues as such with every consecutive viewing. Punisher: War Zone takes this principle to a delirious high and former fighter, director Lexi Alexander certainly has a flair for directing high quality dreck.

On a purely visual level, this film trumps its predecessor and is indeed quite slick and well shot. Along with such artistic clarity however, follows copious amounts of blood and brutal sadistic violence, which at times repulsed me to a certain extent. For those who found the previous outing violent, will find themselves wincing more then in any other movie this year. It is this choice to turn The Punisher, Frank Castle, into a purely animalistic killer (Which truthfully is probably what he should be) that distances the audience from his blight and makes this B movie a pure action film; and features little dialogue, no character development, just pure unadulterated havoc. Replacing Thomas Jane, is Ray Stevenson, who I loved from HBO's short-lived series Rome and he certainly suits the part; Brooding, ruthless and savage in his ways. A reboot, more then a sequel, Punisher: War Zone features all new characters, a fresh back-story and a pristine batch of baddies to dispense of.

Following a crimson soaked encounter at a Cosa Nostra summit, The Punisher has found a true nemesis (A disfigured Mafioso calling himself only Jigsaw (Dominic West)). However, during this encounter an undercover FBI agent is killed by Frank Castle, the former Special Ops agent, and wracked with guilt, hovers behind the widow and daughter of the agent. Feeling a sort of connection to the two with his own slaughtered family, he fosters a protective tendency over the pair, which ramps up when Jigsaw seeks revenge against the family of his crony who was, obviously, an undercover operative. Recruiting his imprisoned brother Looney Bin Jim (Doug Hutchinson) following a feisty prison break to aid in his revenge, Jigsaw wages a war against The Punisher, his friends and goodness in general.

The high point of this film is undoubtedly Dominic West as Jigsaw, who oozes malice and over-the-top sadism and is certainly the best villain since…well Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight......never mind. His brother is equally insane, but is more laughable in his place then West's portrayal. Wayne Knight as Castle's ally, plays the role surprisingly straight and departs nicely from Newman on Seinfeld. Really, truthfully, don't believe for a second that this film is a good movie, it is corny, clichéd, supported by minimal dialogue, and by all standards a bad, bad movie. Yet, damn was in fun.

View all my reviews at Simon Says Movie Reviews: www.simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com