Gunshots And Explosions: The Movie

Despite being worn out from the busy evening I had last night, I got out again this afternoon to go see Punisher: War Zone. Following in the footsteps of this summer's The Incredible Hulk, this one reboots the Punisher movie franchise while only offering the briefest of origin stories. And just why would they do that? Beats me. I didn't see just what was so wrong with the last movie. Yeah, it had its fair share of flaws, but I don't see the reason why they needed to hit the reset button instead of calling this one Punisher 2. Even if they had to replace Tom Jane in the lead role, this one could have just as easily been a sequel.

But anyway, I totally dug Punisher: War Zone. The filmmakers apparently decided to take this reboot in a direction more akin to Dolph Lundgren's long-forgotten Punisher movie from 1989, focusing less on a tortured, introspective Frank Castle, and more on a Frank Castle who likes shooting people and making things explode. And frankly, that makes Punisher: War Zone a whole lot of fun. It's a colorful assault on the senses that rarely ever lets up, but still provides a boatload of entertainment for those who enjoy seeing wild action movies with high body counts and no plot. And it helps a lot that director Lexi Alexander has chosen to break away from the very annoying norm by actually holding the camera still during the action scenes, allowing us to see what's happening during the moments we're there to see in the first place.

Ray Stevenson steps into the role of the Punisher, and he does a great job. The character has only a rare number of moments where he isn't killing every bad guy within a two-mile radius, and Stevenson handles these scenes well. The supporting cast are all acceptable as well, but the show is thoroughly stolen by Dominic West as Frank Castle's primary nemesis, Jigsaw. West plays the role almost as if he were channelling Jack Nicholson in Batman, an entertaining performance that makes every scene he appears in worth watching.

As it stands now, Punisher: War Zone isn't doing so hot at the box office. It came in at the eighth spot in the domestic rankings, which is kinda shocking considering it was the only new movie in wide release this weekend. Me and my dad were the only people in the theater too, something that hasn't happened to me personally in a long time. So needless to say, I think we can already call the movie a bomb. But it's totally worth seeing. It's an over-the-top B-grade action movie that is more silly than serious, and I couldn't love it more. Therefore, I'm going to give the movie three and a half stars out of the typical five, along with a thumbs up. Go check it out before your local theater stops carrying it, okay?