Punisher Warzone

[waufreak89]

I really enjoyed War Zone.  Stylistically I feel it has a lot going for it.  I love the intentional limited color palette and how it reflects the look of a comic book.  The color and lighting have a nice pop to them.  Visually the movie detaches itself from the "real world" enough to help really sell the ultra-violent sequences.  The city reflected in the film clearly needs a man like Frank Castle.  I feel it's key in any Punisher story to show that the city Frank inhabits is decayed to the point where a murderous vigilante is the only hope.

I thought the cast was solid, especially Ray Stevenson who nailed the stoic, brooding nature of Frank Castle.  Jigsaw was played rather over the top but I think that approach worked for the piece.  Some of the sequences might be a bit much, like when Loony Bin Jim eats an orderlies internal organs.  But honestly that's all just part of the ride.  While the film may address some moral issues the true point of it breaks down to watching Frank annihilate bad guys.  It's escapist entertainment and in that regard it succeeds.

On the whole I feel War Zone comes closer to the spirit of the character then the 2004 film does.  I don't necessarily think the 2004 film is bad, I just think it pulls a lot more punches.  War Zone is balls to the wall violent and I feel that is the way to go if you wish to capture the essence of The Punisher.

[Seantastic]

I loved it, aswell as the 2004 Punisher, I really like both, they are to me a much more violent version of Batman, which I like, plus Warzone ahd Rise Against so that just automatically makes it great

[The Joker]

I liked Punisher War Zone alright.

Hell, I like all 3 of the Punisher films to be perfectly honest. Every one of them have their memorable moments, though unfortunately, I dont believe any of them have ever reached the right flavor that feels like the 'definitive' Punisher movie.

[thecolorsblend]

I liked Punisher War Zone alright.

Hell, I like all 3 of the Punisher films to be perfectly honest. Every one of them have their memorable moments, though unfortunately, I dont believe any of them have ever reached the right flavor that feels like the 'definitive' Punisher movie.

I always figured the Punisher is sort of one-note.  If you're going to make a movie about the guy, you've basically only got his origin story to work with.

As you say, none of them so far have been definitive... which is surprising since, like I said, all he's really got is an origin story so you'd think they'd have finally gotten it right after three attempts.

Of the bunch, I like the Lundgren version the best.  No, he doesn't have the skull on his shirt but otherwise that's pretty much the character from the comics as far as I know (not being a huge Punisher fan, myself).  The other two... I dunno, something just seemed off.

[Sandman]

Of the bunch, I like the Lundgren version the best

I agree i am a big Punisher fan and can say that he was oddly enough closet to the original comic and and the movie itslef had the right amount of everything.

[The Joker]

I always figured the Punisher is sort of one-note.  If you're going to make a movie about the guy, you've basically only got his origin story to work with.

There's some truth in that. He's basically the type of character that if you dont get the first film off to a good running start, then there's little hope of a franchise. Unfortunately, each Punisher film have their share of problems and it hasnt happened yet.

As you say, none of them so far have been definitive... which is surprising since, like I said, all he's really got is an origin story so you'd think they'd have finally gotten it right after three attempts.

Of the bunch, I like the Lundgren version the best.  No, he doesn't have the skull on his shirt but otherwise that's pretty much the character from the comics as far as I know (not being a huge Punisher fan, myself).  The other two... I dunno, something just seemed off.

Yeah, I dont mind the Lundgren version. I actually quite like it.

I pretty much rank em like this:

1989 Lundgren Punisher: Basically the character come to life for that time, sans the Skull t-shirt, and on a budget.

2004 Punisher: Hollywood attempt at starting a franchise. Not bad, but not exceptionally great either.

2008 Punisher: WZ: Garth Ennis Punisher come to life, added with some over the top camp acting for good measure.

[The Dark Knight]

I never liked the Punisher. He's just a regular human male dressed in a singlet. Oh, and he carries around guns. Big deal. Nothing standout or memorable about that. The character has no charm at all, nor is he endearing. He's nothing but a stone faced murderer.