Ray Stevenson takes over the lead role in Punisher: War Zone (Lionsgate)
Punisher: War Zone (opened December 5 throughout San Diego) was an awesome movie. Not comparing it to the previous movie made in 2004 with Thomas Jane, I felt War Zone was an amazing action-packed thriller with a hint of underlying comedy. The movie starts off with a huge party that involves a mob family and cops outside waiting. They wish to see the Punisher come in and kill those who keep getting away with crimes. Their suspicions are right, and Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) arrives to inflict a bloodbath on the unsuspecting mobsters. Frank comes in and destroys the place keeping his reputation as The Punisher. But a guy named Billy and a few of his associates get away. So the rest of the movie is about how Frank tracks them down and finishes off the last of that particular family. During the movie an FBI agent gets killed and leaves behind a wife and child. Frank takes a liking to them and tries to help them in every way he can. The child is a little girl who reminds Castle of his own daughter who happened to be killed in the previous movie. He takes a liking to her and tries to treat her as if she was his own flesh and blood.
The fight scenes and all the killing scenes were just amazingly done. The fact that one guy can clear a building is astonishing. I know the majority of the movie is exaggerated but it's not overdone to the point where the movie becomes annoying. It's a film where the special effects are done just right and create a sort of realism about the exaggerated events. Even though this movie was all about killing, I found certain parts quite funny. There was a hint of sarcasm in some lines and the general attitude that the Punisher showsabout doing what he wants regardless of what others tell him. The FBI had caught one of the mobsters and was about to arrest him when Frank shoots him then walks away. The agent is yelling at him to come back and Castle ignores him while walking away without a care in the world. It was little things like this that made this movie enjoyable.
Punisher: War Zone is rated R for pervasive brutal violence, language and brief nudity.
--Janeane White is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. She enjoys movies and spends all her time at the theater. She is also interested in special effects makeup done in the movies. She is an honors student and is currently working towards early graduation. Some of her favorite movies include Queen of the Damned, Hellboy, The Descent, the Underworld series, and the Saw series.
