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.
Review of Punisher: War Zone
