Frank Castle, known as the Punisher, ruthlessly demolishes organized crime, but it starts an even bigger war.Frank Castle, known as the Punisher, ruthlessly demolishes organized crime, but it starts an even bigger war.Frank Castle, known as the Punisher, ruthlessly demolishes organized crime, but it starts an even bigger war.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
John Dunn-Hill
- Cesare
- (as John Dunn Hill)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThomas Jane was originally attached for the lead role, but he turned it down, stating that he thought the script was going in the wrong direction. He felt it was too "comic book," whereas he wanted a more gritty, realistic approach. And then in 2012 Thomas Jane made the short "dirty laundry" where he depicts the punisher almost exactly like the way Ray Stevenson depicted him in this film.
- Goofs(at around 59 mins) While killing Pittsy, Punisher is clearly holding a dummy, not a real girl.
- Quotes
Priest: God be with you, Frank.
Frank Castle: Sometimes I would like to get my hands on God.
- Alternate versionsGerman retail video version was cut by approx. 1 minute to secure a "Not under 18" rating. The uncut version was released with a SPIO/JK approval but can be sold only with restrictions.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Makeup Effects in Comic Book Movies (2015)
Featured review
I saw this a couple hours ago in Fullerton, CA. I was a reader of the comic, and am a fan of what we've seen from Marvel lately. This movie is just what I wanted, and what I expected.
Ray Stevenson is perfect as Frank Castle, and everyone else is at least good enough for an action movie. Dominic West is over the top as Jigsaw - which is what Jigsaw should be! A horribly disfigured mob boss with a vendetta is not a subtle thing to begin with.
As for the "respectable" critics' complaints: 1. Violence: Of course it's violent! What part of the title "Punisher: War Zone" implies peaceful conflict resolution? He's not the "Admonisher". The gore and violence is not at the level of a "Saw" film, but it is high. It is rated "R" for a reason.
2. Dialogue: I think the critics have been spoiled by "Dark Knight" and "Iron Man". Those were comic-book movies with extraordinarily good dialogue. "Punisher: War Zone" is no worse than a "Predator" or "Rambo: First Blood". Not great, but not awful. This is not supposed to be "Hamlet".
3. Script: The story moves along well, and when there's a break in the action (which isn't very often), the film doesn't drag- it's always going somewhere. Not perfect, but good. Much better than the critics have made it out to be.
All in all, a good time, and one that I'll buy and re-watch as soon as it comes out on DVD.
Ray Stevenson is perfect as Frank Castle, and everyone else is at least good enough for an action movie. Dominic West is over the top as Jigsaw - which is what Jigsaw should be! A horribly disfigured mob boss with a vendetta is not a subtle thing to begin with.
As for the "respectable" critics' complaints: 1. Violence: Of course it's violent! What part of the title "Punisher: War Zone" implies peaceful conflict resolution? He's not the "Admonisher". The gore and violence is not at the level of a "Saw" film, but it is high. It is rated "R" for a reason.
2. Dialogue: I think the critics have been spoiled by "Dark Knight" and "Iron Man". Those were comic-book movies with extraordinarily good dialogue. "Punisher: War Zone" is no worse than a "Predator" or "Rambo: First Blood". Not great, but not awful. This is not supposed to be "Hamlet".
3. Script: The story moves along well, and when there's a break in the action (which isn't very often), the film doesn't drag- it's always going somewhere. Not perfect, but good. Much better than the critics have made it out to be.
All in all, a good time, and one that I'll buy and re-watch as soon as it comes out on DVD.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- The Punisher 2
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $35,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $8,050,977
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,271,451
- Dec 7, 2008
- Gross worldwide
- $10,161,493
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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