Punisher: War Zone

Sometimes it's easier to write about things you hate, than those you love. This is a movie that I wanted to love - well, perhaps love is to strong a word. I have yet to see The Punisher from the '80s, but will soon enough I'm sure, and I was disappointed by The Punisher from earlier this decade (starring Thomas Jane). He's an interesting character to bring to the screen: by all accounts he's a ruthless killer, but they just fail to properly adapt him to the big screen. Perhaps there is a problem with the comics: I've never really read them before, and I really have to question how he fits into a world dominated by the Comics Code Authority. So maybe that's why these adaptations fail: they just have poor source material.

This can't be an excuse for what I witnessed recently though. You've got a host of bad acting, and suprisingly comical gore scenes. It's like the previous wasn't violent enough that they had to step it up, but just ended up making it silly. I don't have much of a problem with Ray Stevenson, but something horribly awry happened with Dominic West's Jigsaw character. This guy was great in The Wire but fails here; perhaps he just had no direction. At one point in the film he's walking down the street waving his arms wildly, just as I would do when I was in grade four and trying to embarrass my sister. To quote my friend: it was "zany." The scenes, and how they come together are questionable: we have a shootout in a house that ends awkwardly, incredibly odd characters that don't seem to fit, and very questionable motivations. The Punisher himself is clear cut: he's out for revenge and is actually nearly done, but he doesn't express any kind of satisfaction; this guy is severely disgruntled and I'm removed from the immersion of the film as I wonder how he passes slow days by himself in his Ninja Turtles-style lair.

I guess, to some degree this movie was becoming so terrible it was funny. When The Punisher punches a thug in the face, he not only knocks him out, he caves in his entire skull. Come on. I laughed a bit when that happened, but I think half the laugh was devoted to sadness. And I really question Julie Benz: you grew to hate her in Dexter (perhaps annoyed is the better term), and this film didn't help her case. Let's not get started on Martin Soap! Was this guy in the comics? Was he so terribly goofy? It is time to stop bringing The Punisher to the big screen.