Punisher: War Zone

R

Released Dec 5, 2008

1 hr. 47 min.

Action

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

29%

113 Reviews

Tomatometer

42%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Frank Castle, aka The Punisher (Ray Stevenson), turns the streets of New York City red as he wages a one man war against the crime syndicate responsible for the death of his wife and two kids. Aided by his trusted sidekick, Microchip (Wayne Knight), he almost kills Billy Russoti (Dominic West) and leaves him horribly disfigured. Billy renames himself Jigsaw and with the help of his crazed brother Loony Bin Jim, recruits criminals from every corner of the city to do battle with Frank.

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Critics Consensus

Punisher: War Zone recalls the excessively violent, dialogue-challenged actioners of the 1980s, and coincidentally feels two decades out of date.

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C A

How it has such a low rating is beyond me. It's a good movie. I just watched it for the first time and really enjoyed it. Violent yes, but that Punisher. Grow a pair and give it a shot... or 12...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/24

Full Review

Elijah S

It was okay, I wouldn't pay to see it in the theater though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

Full Review

Amir A

Could Not finish this movie as my mother said TURN THAT OFF! This was brutally disgusting and I don't have any desire to watch this ever again. Can't Give 0 Stars but Marvel I'll give you Props for the Cool Comic Transitions at the Start in the Background and the Marvel Knights Intro which was onky used for this film and Ghost Rider(2007) & Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance(2012). Overall Punisher: War Zone(2008) is a disgusting and horrible movie to watch and to be fair is the Worst Superhero Movie I have watched and worst movie I have watched so far

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/07/24

Full Review

Sebastian L

A dramaturgical disaster. Fairly promising to begin with, but it isn't long until The Punisher: War Zone gets lost among itself. It doesn't know where it's going, who's the lead or what the point is, and the further we get the cheaper it looks. Why is it so hard to make a decent Punisher movie?

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/28/23

Full Review

Michael

The sequel has not the charm like the first movie, but its still ok.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/23/23

Full Review

Xander M

An incredibly faithful adaptation of Garth Ennis' magnum opus, though some actors are worse than others. Ray Stevenson's acting is a highlight, with his performance as the Punisher shining far above every other actor's.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/24/23

Full Review

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Lexi Alexander

Director

Ray Stevenson

Frank Castle

Dominic West

Billy Russoti

Doug Hutchison

Looney Bin Jim

Colin Salmon

Agent Paul Budiansky

Wayne Knight

Linus Lieberman

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

41%

79%

Running Scared

68%

59%

Public Enemies

51%

52%

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Stephen Garrett

Time Out

Rated: 1/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

Cole Haddon

Film.com

Rated: D-

May 6, 2011

Full Review

Andrew Pulver

Guardian

You couldn't call it shoddy, exactly, and the actors take it painfully seriously; it's just dispiriting to see all this endeavour in the service of something so humourless and disgusting.

Rated: 1/5

Feb 6, 2009

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

This movie has its moments, and most of them involve cheap thrills.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 7, 2024

Full Review

Joseph Garcia

Dynamic Duel Podcast

The film adapts the fun violence and dark humor of the comics but neglects the nuance, making it more of a guilty pleasure than a satisfying experience.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 11, 2023

Full Review

Emilie Black

Cinema Crazed

Punisher: War Zone is a colorful, violent, almost perfect comic book adaptation which seems to be forgotten by some fans of the genre.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 26, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Frank Castle, aka The Punisher (Ray Stevenson), turns the streets of New York City red as he wages a one man war against the crime syndicate responsible for the death of his wife and two kids. Aided by his trusted sidekick, Microchip (Wayne Knight), he almost kills Billy Russoti (Dominic West) and leaves him horribly disfigured. Billy renames himself Jigsaw and with the help of his crazed brother Loony Bin Jim, recruits criminals from every corner of the city to do battle with Frank.

Director: Lexi Alexander
Executive Producer: Oliver Hengst, Ernst-August Schneider, Avi Arad, Ogden Gavanski, Michael Paseornek, John Sacchi
Screenwriter: Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, Nick Santora
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: MHF Zweite Academy Film, Marvel Studios Inc., Valhalla Motion Pictures, Lionsgate Films
Rating: R (Pervasive Strong Brutal Violen|Language|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 5, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.9M

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