If I were to make a list of movies where the sequel was better than the original, Punisher: War Zone would be in the top five. I really loved this movie. Maybe it was because I expected to not like this movie, or maybe it was because I had been itching for a really good action movie. As much as I disliked the last Punisher movie with Thomas Jane and John Travolta, I thought this one was completely awesome from beginning to end. That's why I am giving it five stars.

This movie is essentially a reboot of The Punisher. The last movie was a box office bomb, and rightly so because it sucked. This movie kicks off the series with the Punisher character in full swing and it only mentions his past in flashbacks, so it's not an origin movie. In case you didn't know, The Punisher is a comic book character who has been around for years. He's a former cop whose family was killed, so now he works as a vigilante who goes after bad guys that slip through the system. He doesn't have any superpowers other than being really handy with a gun. You might say he's like a cross between Dirty Harry and Rambo, but with body armor.

I thought the plot of this movie was really good. What happens is The Punisher busts up a mafia family and kills all but a couple of them. What he didn't know was that one of the guys he killed was an undercover federal agent who left behind a wife and daughter. After all the killing, The Punisher is now suddenly faced with atonement, and he tries to help out the family and it backfires. When they get kidnapped by the surviving mafia guys, he ends up having to rescue them and finish what he started. With all of this going on, the feds are looking for him because he killed one of their own, so now he's a bad guy, too.

According to the IMDb, his body count for this movie is 81. This is an incredibly violent and bloody movie, and I loved every minute of it. About two-thirds of The Punisher's victims get shot, and most of them in the head so you get a nice blood/meat/brain spray. Other victims get axes and knives, some are blown up, and one guy literally gets his face punched in. This movie is very much rated R for language and violence. It might be based on a comic book, but it is not meant for kids.

Irish actor Ray Stevenson is excellent in the title role. He is perhaps best known from his role as Titus on Rome, and I recognized him from a neat WWII horror movie called Outpost. Stevenson reminded me of a young Sean Connery, and he had the right look and physical presence to embody The Punisher. He's also a very good actor, so the emotional scenes worked quite well. Dominic West of The Wire is great as the main villain, Jigsaw, and he really plays up the part. Doug Hutchinson, who was the wicked guard in The Green Mile, is very good as West's psychotic younger brother. He gave the performance his all and steals several scenes.

This was directed by Lexi Alexander, who previously did Green Street Hooligans and was nominated for an Oscar for a short film called Johnny Flyton. She has a martial arts and stunt background that really worked out well in how the action scenes were portrayed in this movie. I think she could be the next Kathryn Bigelow. The screenwriters have numerous notable credits between them, including many episodes of Prison Break and the recent hit Iron Man movie.

Punisher: War Zone is an awesome action movie. I think the trailer tended to focus a little too much on the special effects and made this look kind of cheesy, but it certainly is not. I might actually buy myself a copy of this to watch again.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age