Punisher: War Zone (2008)
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A vigilante's war against crime escalates into a brutal confrontation with a disfigured mob boss.
The story
Having lost his family to mob violence, former Force Recon Marine Frank Castle has spent the last five years as a vigilante known as the Punisher. Castle assaults a party for local Don Gaitano Cesare and kills him and the guests. Cesare's caporegime Billy "The Beaut" Russoti and his entourage escape to his recycling plant hideout. After a brief firefight, Russoti is thrown into a glass-crushing machine that leaves him hideously disfigured. He later refers to himself as "Jigsaw" because the stitches in his face resemble puzzle pieces. Castle's actions lead to the formation of an NYPD "Punisher Task Force" to bring him to justice.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After losing his family to mob violence, former Force Recon Marine Frank Castle becomes the vigilante Punisher. He kills local Don Gaitano Cesare, leading to a confrontation with Cesare's caporegime, Billy "The Beaut" Russoti. During a fight at a recycling plant, Russoti is disfigured by a glass-crushing machine and adopts the moniker "Jigsaw." Castle kills Nicky Donatelli, an undercover FBI agent, which prompts Agent Paul Budiansky to join an NYPD "Punisher Task Force" to hunt Castle. Jigsaw frees his cannibalistic brother, "Loony Bin Jim," and they begin a campaign of terror, including holding the Donatelli family hostage. Castle's armorer, Micro, is also targeted. Jigsaw eventually bargains with the FBI to release a biological weapon in exchange for immunity and money. He takes Micro hostage and kills his mother. Jigsaw then gathers a small army of gangsters at the abandoned Bradstreet Hotel to seek vengeance. Castle enlists Budiansky's help to locate the hotel. During a massive shootout, Castle engages Loony Bin Jim in solo combat before confronting Jigsaw. Jigsaw forces Castle to choose between the lives of Micro and Grace Donatelli; Castle chooses to kill Loony Bin Jim instead. Enraged, Castle kills Jigsaw by impaling him with a metal rod and throwing him onto a fire-lit brazier. The film ends with Angela Donatelli forgiving Castle, and Castle departing with Soap, only to be seen shooting a mugger.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States; Canada; Germany
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lexi Alexander
- Writers
- Nick Santora · screenplay; Art Marcum · screenplay; Matt Holloway · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Ray Stevenson · Frank Castle / The Punisher; Dominic West · Billy "The Beaut" Russoti / Jigsaw; Doug Hutchison · James Russoti / "Loony Bin Jim" / "LBJ"; Colin Salmon · FBI Agent Paul Budiansky; Wayne Knight · Linus Lieberman / Microchip; Dash Mihok · Detective Martin Soap; Julie Benz · Angela Donatelli; Stephanie Janusauskas · Grace Donatelli
- Genres
- action; thriller; crime drama
- Themes
- Vengeance; Corruption; Violence
- Tone and mood
- Dark; Relentless; Muscular
- Premise and plot tags
- Vigilante; Reboot; Action; Crime
- Source material / true-story basis
- Marvel Comics
- Franchise connections
- The Punisher
- Reception
- The film was a box-office bomb that received negative reviews from critics for its story, performances, characters, tone and violence, though it developed a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 30 · scale: 100 · review count: 24
- Production trivia
- The film's highly-saturated colored lighting was a 'happy accident' because the comics were accidentally printed in the wrong colors.; The film was initially developed as a sequel with Thomas Jane reprising the title role before he departed the project in 2006.; The film's related soundtrack hit the #23 slot on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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