Punisher? Masochistic Mob Murderer is More Like It! (The Punisher 2: War Zone (DVD))

Member Name: GoFigure

Product:	The Punisher 2: War Zone (DVD)
Date:	10/08/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Entertaining - loads of action - great choreographed fights.

Disadvantages: A bit too much violence.

Director: Lexi Alexander
Writers: Nick Santora & Art Marcum
Genre: Drama - Action - Crime - Thriller
Country: USA/Canada/Germany
Certification: 18
Language: English
DVD Release: 22nd June, 2009 [UK]

MAIN CAST:

Ray Stevenson [Frank Castle - The Punisher]
Dominic West [Billy Russoti - Jigsaw]
Doug Hutchison [Loony Bin Jim]
Colin Salmon [Paul Budiansky]
Julie Benz [Angela]

In the sequel to 'The Punisher', Frank Castle, who went from FBI agent to vigilante in the first movie after his wife and children were killed by the mob, is into his sixth year as a vigilante with an extensive rap sheet against him for putting the mob on the 'endangered species' list.

The police and FBI have mixed feelings about Castle/The Punisher, some considering him a hero, others considering him a murderer... mostly, the police are glad to have him around, and there are a few police officers who are all too willing to assist Castle in his quest to rid the city of the mob.

When Castle crashes a mob party and inadvertently kills an undercover FBI agent after getting into a fight with known gangster Billy Russoti and disfiguring him, Castle is overwhelmed by guilt at having killed the agent... more so when he discovers that the agent had a wife and daughter.

In an attempt to make amends, Castle visits the widow of the agent he killed and tries to make things right, but the woman tells him to leave. At this point, no longer certain that he's actually acting as the 'good guy', he decides to leave the city... but then Russoti, who survived after his fight with Castle/The Punisher and has changed his name to Jigsaw, is looking for the cash the undercover FBI agent took from him, and decides to pay the widow a visit.

When Castle/The Punisher discovers that the widow and her daughter are in danger, he will do everything in his power to save them...

Having missed the original movie 'The Punisher', I sat down to watch the sequel thinking that it might be a bit confusing... as it often is when you try to play 'catch up' with a series, especially a 'comic book' series like this one. I was wrong. 'The Punisher 2: Warzone' doesn't need to have its main character 'explained' in full detail. There are a few flashbacks that last only a few seconds but give a really good outline of the first movie, and explain why Castle has become 'The Punisher'... therefore the viewer doesn't have to worry if he/she hasn't seen the first movie.

The storyline itself is quite good, and the movie possesses a suitably dark and dangerous atmosphere. As with most movies siphoned from comic books, the city in this movie is similar to Batman's Gotham City with its dimly lit streets, shadowy alleyways and piled filth that is home to hordes of rats... in this case, the rats being the two-legged kind that tote guns.

The action is a constant in this movie, and although there are a few gaps, these gaps rarely lighten the mood or shift the tone... more are these gaps meant to set up a relationship between the widow, her daughter and Castle - a relationship, true to anti-hero format, that never really leads to anything 'serious'. This, in itself, is a good thing because 'romance' would definitely feel 'off'... after all, Castle did kill her husband.

The acting is fine, nothing extraordinary... the actors and actresses manage to hold their own and are thoroughly believable, but there is no real depth to any of them, nothing really 'human' - nothing that is particularly likeable. This goes for Castle as well. Yes, the viewer is made to feel sympathy towards him because of the loss of his wife and children, but there is no delving into emotions, no actual focus on the character's feelings or 'humanity'... but that's just fine because, from the very fist scene with Castle executing mob members during a reunion, the tone is set for nothing short of a massacre, and the viewer knows exactly what to expect. There are no surprises.

The script itself is quite bland, all work and no play so-to-speak - the writers haven't wasted time on useless dialogue or even attempted to inject some dark humour... the mood remains unchanging throughout the entire film - dark and depressing.

The special-effects, including the fight scenes, are incredibly fast-paced and immaculately woven together, and the viewer can't help but be fascinated by the moves, or repulsed by the gore... and believe me, this movie isn't rated 18 for nothing! Blood literally drips from every scene, with heads rolling, men being eviscerated, mutilated, thrown off buildings... etc... etc... etc... needless to say that the 'violence' could be disturbing for some.

All in all, an entertaining movie, one I would certainly recommend to those who like a bit of grisly action with well-choreographed fight scenes and a dark atmosphere. Personally, I don't usually go for any of the above, but the movie managed to hold my interest.

Summary: A vigilante sets out to protect the widow and daughter of an FBI agent that he killed by mistake.