Punisher: War Zone

Friday, August 16 - Saturday, August 17, 2019

*Please note the late-night screenings on Fri Aug 16 & Sat Aug 17 begin at 12:10am, not 11:59pm!*

Staff Pick! Chosen by Ezra who says: “PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is the kind of movie you didn’t know you needed until you see it. It’s like a Dick Tracy movie directed by Takashi Miike, but even more awesome than that; truly a gift to us all.”

“Following a direct-to-video ’80s version starring Dolph Lundgren, and an unfortunately campy 2004 reboot with Thomas Jane, Lionsgate has gotten back to basics with PUNISHER: WAR ZONE. Rome‘s Ray Stevenson plays the skull-clad Frank Castle like a cross between Steven Seagal and Jason Voorhees. Early on, he fixes his own broken nose by jamming a pencil up his nostril; nobody else in the movie gets off quite so easily, as blood, brains, intestines, and chunks of flayed skin fly. (It’s not technically a horror movie, but nobody told the effects guys that.) The plot, such as it is, involves Castle second-guessing his life as a vigilante after accidentally killing an undercover fed, while fighting off a mobster (Dominic West) who has fallen into a giant glass-crusher and been recycled as a lethal Leatherface lookalike called Jigsaw.” – Village Voice (2008)

Screening as part of our Summer 2019 series, “Waverly Midnights: Staff Picks.”

  • Country USA
  • Year 2008
  • Running Time 103 minutes
  • Distributor Lionsgate
  • Director Lexi Alexander
  • Writer Nick Santora, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
  • Editor William Yeh
  • Cinematographer Steve Gainer
  • Cast Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Doug Hutchison, Colin Salmon, Julie Benz
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.