THE PUNISHER:WAR ZONE

(US, 2008, d. Lexi Alexander)

Sadistic, to say the least.

Butchery of enemies is the main cause of complaint. There is a savagery in the way that the Punisher wreaks vengeance on his targets (most of them quite worthless human specimens) and in the way that the villains relish their brutality.

In reading the press notes and the statements of the film-makers about the graphic novels and their fidelity to them as well as their owing it to Punisher fans to remain faithful, one is impressed by the high-minded expressions. While the Punisher is not a super-human hero with extraordinary powers, he is not a role model. He is a vigilante, overwrought by the brutal deaths of his wife and children (suggested in flashbacks and in his visit to the cemetery) who wants to eliminate corruption. He becomes a law unto himself, a morose avenger. When he kills an undercover agent along with a Mafia coven, he is consumed by remorse and a desire to help the widow and her daughter.

On paper, that sounds a potential exploration of contemporary justice themes. However, the stolid performance by Ray Stevenson as Frank Castle, the Punisher, tends to conceal rather than reveal what might be going on in his heart and conscience. If the brutality were to be modified and not so self-indulgently ugly, then it might have been an interesting exploration of themes.

The technical craft and effects are top-class and Dominic West as the facially deformed Jigsaw is obviously relishing the opportunity to ham up the psychopathic aspects of his mania. But, the visual sadism is too much.