I read my share of Punisher comics in the early 2000's, and I'd have to say this film was fairly accurate to the spirit of the character during that time frame. That chandelier spin in the early part of the movie was classic, like a roulette wheel of death administered by Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) to a mob in the midst of a power struggle. The movie might have gotten a little carried away with itself when Billy Russoti (Dominic West) became Jigsaw, at which point it often approached the level of parody, especially whenever the 'Punisher Task Force of One', Martin Soap (Dash Mihok) was involved. The guy seemed so inept you had to wonder how he remained on the force as long as he did. The same thing with Loony Bin Jim (Doug Hutchison); all throughout I couldn't get rid of a nagging suspicion that he might have been modeled on the personality of a crazy North Korean dictator. My criticisms though, didn't impact on my enjoyment of the picture. I like to see the bad guys get their due in any kind of action thriller, and this one supplied it in spades. I don't know what The Punisher might be up to these days in the pages of his comic books, but if you like the sick along with the slick, you'll probably go for Ray Stevenson's take on the iconic character in this story.

PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is a fun shoot-em-up – there's no more or less to it than that. A semi-sequel to the original 2004 film, this sees ROME's Ray Stevenson taking over the reins from Thomas Jane in a self-contained movie about his vendetta against a criminal gang. I'd heard a lot of talk about how poor this film was before I sat down and watched it, but I'm pleased to see it exceeded my expectations in every respect.

First off, the action scenes are excellent: fast-paced, well-shot (no shaky cam work here) and hard-hitting, with thugs getting their just desserts at every corner and all manner of extreme-weaponry mayhem. Secondly, the film isn't just about the action. There is a story, with characters (no matter how briefly sketched they are) and emotion too – Frank Castle is a creature brimming with repressed hurt and feeling and Stevenson is the perfect actor to bring him to life; few actors have eyes so sad.

Thirdly, the cast is pretty interesting. Dominic West, of course, gives it his all as the horrifically mutilated Jigsaw, bringing to life a truly comic creation. Doug Hutchison proves he's just as creepy as he was all those years ago in THE X-FILES when he played Tooms, the guy who could squeeze through letterboxes. Julie Benz (RAMBO) has a fairly thankless role as a mother who needs to be saved/rescued all the while, while familiar faces Colin Salmon and Wayne Knight flesh out more minor roles.

Of course, this isn't a perfect film. Some of the characters are intensely irritating (like the guy who appears to be the world's worst cop) and the running time is too short to really scope out the storyline, other than staging a few encounters. For what it's worth, the first film is still better, but that doesn't stop PUNISHER: WAR ZONE from being a satisfying action flick.

The Punisher Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) watches on the news that the aged patriarch of the Cesare mafia family was considered not guilty in his trial after the death of the prosecution's main witness. Frank goes to Cesare's mansion, where the criminal is celebrating his freedom with his family, and he executes the whole family of mobsters. While fighting with the gangster Billy Russoti (Dominic West), he falls into a shattering glasses machine and Frank turns the machine on; Billy is smashed by the pieces of glasses. However Franks discovers that he accidentally killed the undercover FBI agent Nicky Donatelli (Romano Orzari) that was working infiltrated in the Cesare family, ahead of an investigation of a great scheme of the mobsters with a Russian gang. Meanwhile Billy surprisingly survives completely deformed and asks to be called Jigsaw; he releases his insane brother Loony Bin (Doug Hutchison) from the asylum where he is locked and promises revenge against Frank and Nicky's wife Angela Donatelli (Julie Benz) and daughter Grace (Stephanie Janusauskas). Frank is chased by Nicky's former partner, Special Agent Paul Budiansky (Colin Salmon), while he tries to protect Angela and Grace from Jigsaw's revenge.

"Punisher: War Zone" is a great action movie, developed in an adequate pace and with a solid story and good acting, special effects and soundtrack. I had lower expectations with this movie, but it was a wonderful surprise for me. In the first "The Punisher" that I saw on the screen, Frank Castle was performed by Dolph Lundgren; in the second, by Thomas Jane; and now, by Ray Stevenson. In common, all the three movies are full of action and violence, as the viewer should expect, and the lead actors have great performances. However, Dominic West is the best villain of the three movies, with his Jigsaw that slightly recalls The Joker from "Batman" (1989). Doug Hutchison, the unforgettable Eugene Victor Tooms from "X-Files", is also great with his sick and evil Loony Bin. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Justiceiro 2 – Zona de Guerra" ("The Vigilante 2 – War Zone")