Who Punishes The Punisher !?

Punisher: War Zone

(2008/USA)

''Let me put you out of my misery !''

The Punisher returns with an incredibly visceral personal agenda against the criminal underworld responsible for the murders of his wife and kids. Primed to eradicate New York City of its gang land infestation. Serving death warrants upon the human vermin like the pied piper of pain. A soldier of no mercy etching his own brand of retribution against those evading the law and beyond reproach. But when he comes calling the badge of justice he displays is etched upon his bullet retardant chest protection. An emblazoned white skull, intimidatingly representative of a messenger of death !. This then is The Punisher, and he's unapologetically amped up on the shiny format in an Unrated form to die for.
Officer Frank Castle may have left the police force, but as The Punisher he is a force all of his own !. Torn up in side over the death of his family but relentlessly poised to rage a rampaging war against the scum of New York City. Here he unleashes a frenzied full scale assault against a psychotic gangland boss called Jigsaw. A surviving target of Frank Castle's one man militia The Punisher, who left him for dead in an operational mass bottle recycling machine. Billy Russoti is pummelled and pulped amongst the shards of glass, left unrecognisable in a bloody cocoon of sliced skin severed ligaments. Pulled from the device by the arriving police to be patched up by hack surgeons, due to a lapsed health plan (oh the irony of crime doesn't pay), Billy, with a patchwork face, names himself Jigsaw.
During this opening sequence of events The Punisher unknowingly kills an innocent. A wire wearing undercover police officer, infiltrating Billy Russoti's syndicate, gets caught in the cross fire. To Frank Castle's dismay this law enforcer leaves a widowed wife and young daughter. Is it time for Frank Castle to lay The Punisher to final rest !?. When Jigsaw springs his psychopathic brother Loony Bin Jim !, from the psycho ward, and goes after the wife and daughter, it becomes apparent that The Punishers work is far from done. Time to hook up with munitions pimp Microchip, and arm him self for the War Zone, as The Punisher injects an anger enema into Jigsaw's newly formed allegiance of street gangs.

Punisher: War Zone is an outrageously rewarding slice of trash cinema. Politically incorrect to the hilt and delivering violence like stormtroopers using real ammo at a paintball free for all. This is no picnic for societies pernicious low life as The Punisher dispenses with plastic knives and forks, cutting instead through his hamper of baddies with steel and lead. For desert he decapitates douche bags via double barrelled shot gun, and removes any remaining aftertaste with a chaser of ballistic bullet brûlée. This is a connoisseur of carnage, a perfectionist in his preparation and remorseless in his delivery. If you've caused someone pain, he'll do unto you the same ... with interest !. The climax to the movie is an audience rousing all Action roundhouse of the finest order. The Punisher unloads a world of whoop ass on the bad guys. There are more limbs shot off, and bodies blasted into oblivion than can be calculated on a super charged abacus. This is vivid comic book licence taken to the max. Marvel studios Marvel Knights production company have taken a dark character from their resume and thankfully stayed completely away from the Hollywood happy sparkles dust, to blow us away here with a fallout that even fledgling forensic scientists would throat barf at.

Ray Stevenson is perfectly cast as the stoically charged judge jury and executioner, The Punisher and the emotively tortured Frank Castle. He is believable in a role, that should there be a further sequel, he has now made his own !. This is then a powder keg of unyielding gratuitous violence. An unflinching furnace of Action catered for comic book fans who have long outgrown the requirement of parental guidance. A guilty pleasure that bleeds for its patronage and rewards with relish.

Review: Paul Cooke / Source: USA DVD (NTSC)