Punisher: War Zone

Frank Castle, a former special forces operative, has turned vigilante under the name The Punisher, waging a private campaign against organized crime in New York. His target is mob boss Billy Russoti, but the confrontation leaves Russoti alive though severely disfigured. Reemerging as Jigsaw, Russoti builds an army of criminals to take his revenge, while a task force pursues both men and the FBI struggles to contain the escalating violence.

Lexi Alexander directed this 2008 action crime film, her second feature after Green Street Hooligans (2005) and before Lifted (2010). The screenplay is by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway and Nick Santora, with Gale Anne Hurd producing. Ray Stevenson plays Frank Castle, Dominic West plays Billy Russoti and Jigsaw, and Julie Benz, Colin Salmon, Doug Hutchison and Dash Mihok appear in supporting roles. It was made on a budget of 21 million USD and grossed 10 million USD worldwide.

Ratings are middling across the board: 5.9 out of 10 on IMDb from around 71,000 votes, and the same average on TMDB from roughly 1,400 votes. A critics' rating of 4.5 out of 10 from 110 reviews places professional assessments below the audience scores, though both sit near the middle of the scale. The film adapts the Marvel Comics character and followed an earlier screen version of the Punisher released in 2004.