Punisher: War Zone

I had to laugh a little when a colleague said to me, after the press screening, that a certain actor in Punisher: War Zone was "a little over the top," because I was thinking, "There is no top in this movie for anyone to go over!"

Unlike the dated Dolph Lundgren version of The Punisher, or Thomas Jane's PG-13 Frank Castle as-the-man portrayal, Ray Stevenson metes out the penalties and he does it with hard-R, unrelenting elan. What's more, his arch-rival Jigsaw (Dominic West, who's channeling any and every bad guy from Dick Tracy) brings the pain like a Saw movie villain in this flick. And his accent is so arch, he makes Cesar Romero's Joker look timid.

Jigsaw's awful antics are aided by his whacky but beloved "blood" brother, James, aka, Loony-Bin Jim, played tic-chic and tongue-in-cheek by Doug Hutchison. Then there are Jigsaw's vile and various henchmen… between the good guy and bad guys, bullets are flying like hailstones from hell and the body count quickly becomes high enough to rival any three Sam Peckinpaugh movies (or Death Wish III).

For horror fans, it's a feast of flayed flesh on par with Midnight Meat Train… but without the suspense. PWZ may boast a granny chopped in half by an ax, but it isn't horror by any stretch (unlike, say out-of-box scary movies reviewed here ala No Country For Old Men, or The Dark Knight). That said, if you're a fan of inventive, brutal and wince-inducing death scenes, you're in for more than your share of the red stuff here.

I enjoyed PWZ on many levels (some of which I'll address in just a bit), but I did find it an oddly jarring, uneven mix of theatrics and acting — it seemed as though some of the cast were taking their roles seriously and playing it straight, while others were obviously champing at the bit to be as sublimely ridiculous as possible. When you see the two styles together, it's like satin and sandpaper. For me, that aspect of it just didn't work; there were many times where I wasn't quite sure if I should be laughing.

But the point is, I was laughing. Overall, I had a good time with PWZ. It's not as loopy-fun as The Mother Of Tears, but PWZ is a definite must-see for devotees of unintended humor or/and crazy hodge-podges of serious and sappy (director Lexi Alexander can be likened to Michael Sarne in the best possible ways… there is an American flag salute in this movie that is so Myra Breckinridge, Raquel Welch really should have had a cameo!).

Stevenson is an outstanding choice as Frank Castle, and while his female fans from his "Rome" stint might miss the loincloth (there's not even a glimpse of beefcake on display in his dark, heavy, cowled military-styled crusader costume), everyone should agree that he brings a certain gravity and dignity to even his most unfortunate lines. It is safe to say we won't be seeing any Best Screenplay Academy Awards in the homes of the writers any time soon, but Stevenson is spot-on.

In case you don't know, PWZ is based on a long-running comic book series and follows a mortal man with a personal vendetta who's gifted with a license to kill as "The Punisher". This way, war-vet Castle can salve his own need for retaliation, as long as he takes out as many bad guys along the way as inhumanly possible. The phrase "collateral damage" is just a breakfast snack-bar for him when it comes to the mobsters of New York. Basically he's a straightforward killing machine, until Jigsaw comes along and throws a wrench in the cogs and wheels. Jigsaw, for the very reason which earned him his nickname, makes it personal.

While there are many other adversaries (T.J. Storm, playing the cocky Irish leader of the Urban Freeflow Gang, is a standout), the main plot is really about Jigsaw and Loony-Bin Jim doing anything and everything to incapacitate The Punisher and bring him to their justice. Knowing his soft spots, the devious duo kidnap not only Castle's colleague and friend, Micro (the wonderful Wayne Knight), but also recently widowed Angela (Julie Benz, seemingly reprising her role from Rambo), and her young daughter, Grace (Stephanie Janusauskas, cute but cloying). There's some serious schmaltz in these perils, but I dare you not to be quoting some of the more giggle-inducing lines ("Don't go…", "You're going to be fine," and "Sometimes, I'd like to get my hands on God," to start with).

My favorite thing about PWZ is its unflinching beauty, no matter what mayhem is going on in its midst. Larry Clark's fave DP Steve Gainer (pardon the pun-ishment) pulls out all the stops here, deviating from his better-known cinema-verite style to adopt and master a more studied, composed approach that's quite stunning.

From a visual standpoint, it is reminiscent of such neon-tinged sci-fi lovelies as A Clockwork Orange, Blade Runner, and its own Lionsgate contemporary, Repo! The Genetic Opera. Popping with bursts of bright yellows, vivid greens and giddy purples, even the shadowy, noir-like setting of a cathedral's pew-lined interior looks like something Fellini might have dreamed of… while on acid. If you appreciate really arty, well-composed and attentive cinematography, that alone makes PWZ worth seeing on the big screen. (That, and Granny chopped in half.)

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