Punisher: War Zone

Filmmakers have now taken three cracks at the story of Frank Castle, aka The Punisher—and all three qualify as misfires. The first featured Dolph Lundgren in 1989, and the words “Dolph Lundgren” basically sum up the problem. The second starred Thomas Jane donning the skull shirt and shooting up bad guys four years ago—and Jane sucked even worse than Lundgren. Now we get Ray Stevenson in Marvel’s latest attempt to give this character some life. While the film offers a small step in the right direction, it’s still pretty damn bad. Stevenson makes for a decent, heavily armed bitter guy, but the story surrounding him is uneven—at best. He looks good in the body armor, adorned with that wicked skull, but the tone given off by his adversaries, mainly the villainous Jigsaw (Dominic West), makes them seem like they should be in another movie. The movie is insanely violent, so be prepared if you buy a ticket.