Punisher: War Zone (2008)
Genre: Action / Crime
Duration: 103 minuten
Country:
United States / Canada / Germany
Directed by: Lexi Alexander
Stars: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West and Julie Benz
IMDb score:
5,9 (71.762)
Releasedate: 5 December 2008
Punisher: War Zone plot
"Vengeance has a name."
Uncompromising avenger Frank Castle continues his one-man war against organized crime. This time he takes on ambitious mob boss Billy Russoti. However, after Russoti is brutally beaten by Castle and severely disfigured as a result, he swears revenge and takes on a new identity, that of Jigsaw. The FBI can't handle Jigsaw, and Castle must face Jigsaw's rapidly recruited private army.
Actors and actresses
Frank Castle / The Punisher
Billy "The Beaut" Russoti / Jigsaw
Angela Donatelli
Paul Budiansky
James Russoti / "Loony Bin Jim" / "LBJ"
Martin Soap
Linus Lieberman / Micro
Grace Donatelli
Carmine "Pittsy" Gazzera
"Ink" Gazzera
Reviews & comments
Riksl13
-
- 27 messages
- 61 votes
Great Punisher movie!
Better than the punisher movie before.
The story was good and interesting
Only the action was sometimes a bit too rough which made it a bit unrealistic.
The moment punisher punches someone in the face, it's not really like half of his face is off right away.
Otherwise a good movie!
Translated from Dutch · View original
Onderhond
-
- 87707 messages
- 13104 votes
Funny.
Found the first part really terrible, lousy superhero film that reminded of bad 90s cinema. Now that feeling is still reasonably present in this second part, but fortunately Alexander manages to frame it a little better.
This film doesn't want to be dark, but aims to create a clear comic strip adaptation. And the film succeeds in that. In the explicit use of color and the fine lighting, a clear comic look slumbers. Camera work and editing are unfortunately not of the same level, but there are quite a few nice stills to be extracted from this film.
In terms of action, the emphasis is still on fairly brutal moments, but this sequel never goes for it. Rarely is such a brutal moment fully captured. The illusion is often there, but when, for example, a guy's head is blown to pieces in full view, it is cut away 3/4 in the explosion. A bit of fish and meat, the film would have been a bit better if they hadn't been so lame at such moments.
Another sore point is the crappy acting. Now the heroes are usually not the most interesting characters in this kind of comic film adaptations, but the Punisher himself is really a salt bag. Worse is that the bad guy is nothing at all. A somewhat stupid patchwork quilt, very interchangeable and never really cool or completely flipped.
So it mainly remains with some clumsy action (which is cut off too quickly) and a nice look (which doesn't bring enough cinematically). In any case, this sequel takes itself a lot less seriously, because this second part makes it a lot easier to digest.
2.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
-
- 11674 messages
- 6867 votes
Nice.
It's been quite a while since I've seen the first movie in the series. I'll leave the series for what it is, but I still wanted to see this War Zone just as much. Evidently named as one of the most brutal superhero movies out there, and based on that, I must have at least given it a shot.
The status does not lie. The film is remarkably clunky in its use of force, and it certainly entertains. In any case, it does have its own charm when a reasonably expensive film actually dares to use violence in terms of setup. Add to that a hard tone, a nice atmosphere and some strange characters and you have a film that can easily beat a rainy afternoon for you.
What's unfortunate is that Alexander doesn't really manage to get a good fight forward. When it comes to shooting, the large amount of blood still manages to do some wonders, but the brawls are so crappy that you can only sit in discomfort. The good thing is that the villains are quite entertaining, but you'd rather they just get blasted in half.
In addition, the acting of some members is really to cry. What all those directors saw in Benz completely escapes me. It must be clear that she is not at all suitable for this role. West and Hutchison are having a good time, thankfully. Stevenson is a bit of a saltbag, but fortunately the height and body language he uses fit perfectly.
All in all, I did enjoy myself. I could especially appreciate the play with light incidences. In terms of content, the film is not very much, but that is logical for a superhero film. I came for some villains who are rudely relegated to the afterlife, and I certainly got that. Nice entertainment for a lazy afternoon.
Translated from Dutch · View originalPre- and sequels
The Punisher
2004
1 comment
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