Punisher: War Zone – Review

Another new take on The Punisher was made just a few years after the last, throwing the last one out fully in favor of a fresh movie and not a sequel in any way. A good cast and extreme violence take center stage as the story just tries to keep up. Throw in a bit of oddball comedy and you have Punisher: War Zone.

Appropriately set in dark New York streets, gangster Billy ‘the Beaut’ Russoti (West) visits his uncle in his lavish mansion with news of an incoming shipment with a big cut to be had. Some kind of “biological package.” The convo gets heated over what the info means and possible money to be made as well as slights made at Billy Russoti’s brother James “Loony Bin Jim” (Hutchison).

Don’t worry, there won’t be need to process most of this information as soon the Punisher (Stevenson) will make a lot of it irrelevant by shooting a lot and blowing shit up. As the cops’ Punisher task force closes in, and the gangsters arm up, and Billy Russoti hits the bottle too hard, it’s a perfect mix for chaos and blood on the pavement.

This iteration of the Punisher does a lot right. The setting and look are great. The Punisher origin tidbits aren’t bad and the take on the character seems okay. The cast in general has some strong actors and even adds a few characters from the comic. Stevenson was a great fit as Castle, and West was also a fairly wild Jigsaw. Action scenes are mostly chaotic and fun to watch unfold.

The lesser bits for me are the overall story which is just kind of straightforward, and I didn’t adore some of the slightly goofier Detective Soap (Mihok) or Jigsaw/Loony Bin Jim hijinks. For those that crave action, this one may still work for you, but it’s not a masterpiece story wise. If you are fine with the basics, it checks those boxes. I don’t think critics or many fans ultimately love this film.