The Idiot Box
There are many aspects of TV and film that I wish to discuss here on Contains Moderate Peril, but they don’t all require and in-depth post or detailed review. Therefore, it seems practical to create a recurring editorial piece in which I can address these more concise and conversational pieces. Hence you are reading “The Idiot Box” which is my new means to quickly summarise and touch upon what I’m currently watching. Because I do the bulk of my film viewing at home now via VOD and no longer that much at the cinema, this recurring post will deal with movies as well as television. I’ll still be producing long form reviews because I enjoy doing so and they also constitutes a substantial percentage of traffic to this site. This virtual column is more of a “friendly chat” about my viewing habits as well as what’s popular, as you would have with your friends down the pub. So, let us begin with a few thoughts about some of the shows I’m currently enjoying.
There are many aspects of TV and film that I wish to discuss here on Contains Moderate Peril, but they don’t all require and in-depth post or detailed review. Therefore, it seems practical to create a recurring editorial piece in which I can address these more concise and conversational pieces. Hence you are reading “The Idiot Box” which is my new means to quickly summarise and touch upon what I’m currently watching. Because I do the bulk of my film viewing at home now via VOD and no longer that much at the cinema, this recurring post will deal with movies as well as television. I’ll still be producing long form reviews because I enjoy doing so and they also constitutes a substantial percentage of traffic to this site. This virtual column is more of a “friendly chat” about my viewing habits as well as what’s popular, as you would have with your friends down the pub. So, let us begin with a few thoughts about some of the shows I’m currently enjoying.
Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery is proving very entertaining and certainly seems to be pulling the show back towards what I’d broadly describe as classic Trek territory. And by classic, I mean the broader themes and idiom of TNG, DS9 and Voyager. There is sufficient information in the public domain to show that there was a lot of creative differences behind the scenes during the production of season one. All things considered it’s surprising that the first 15 episodes came out as well as they did. Now that the show appears to be enjoying a more stable environment, it seems to be returning to the fold with regard to narrative and intent, while maintaining its aesthetic differences. And I like it. I like it a lot. I also managed to catch up with Star Trek: Short Treks and found these to be entertaining and informative. “The Brightest Star” episode was particularly poignant, exploring how Saru made first contact with Starfleet and the ramifications that act had upon his own future.
The Punisher is also enjoying its second season and once again it is proving that the key to successfully exploring vigilantism is to focus on character, motive and consequences. Some episodes are deliberately slow but that’s fine with me. I like knowing the backstory of key characters such as Krista Dumont, Billy Russo's Therapist and John Pilgrim, the shows new antagonist. The show also maintains it’s hard hitting action scenes, with Castle meeting out a particularly vicious beating to a Russian thug, using gym weights. It really made me wince. I am, however, curious to see if there will be a third season and if so whether it can sustain the quality of the narrative. There have been doubts of late as to whether Disney will claw back the rights from Netflix (along with others) and seek to develop them for their own pending VOD service.
Finally, I wanted to reference Amazon prime’s Homecoming with Julia Roberts, as I found this such a fascinating show. I especially liked they way the production used different aspect ratios to denote separate timelines in the plot. It was a very clever device that further embellished the ending of the story. Another facet of the show that was unusual was the varying lengths of each episode. Some ran for an hour, where others only half that time. Yet the plot was demonstrably advanced forward in each instalment. Rather than compose an original score for the entire season, the showrunners decided to used cues from classic films to suit the mood of each episode. For me, a consummate fan of film soundtracks, it was a delight to try and workout each episode where the music came from. Homecoming was a well written, thought provoking production bolstered by solid performances. It was also a self-contained story, so I find it odd that there is talk of a further season, unless it is a tangential sequel.
Punisher: War Zone (2008)
During the seventies, due to the soaring crime rate, failure of national politics and social backlash against the establishment, vigilante films and novels were very popular with the public. Michael Winner's Death Wish captured this sentiment perfectly. Although an exploitation film, it managed to maintain an intelligent and thoughtful edge, which certainly reflected the mood of the New York public of the times. Sadly, these issues where subsequently written out of most future screenplays due to the rise of the Hollywood action blockbuster. Moral subtexts and ethical conundrums were replaced by the sledge hammer ideology of might is right. Heroes were given badges and the official sanction of the establishment and destroyed two dimensional enemies, without any need for ethical reflection or inner introspection.
During the seventies, due to the soaring crime rate, failure of national politics and social backlash against the establishment, vigilante films and novels were very popular with the public. Michael Winner's Death Wish captured this sentiment perfectly. Although an exploitation film, it managed to maintain an intelligent and thoughtful edge, which certainly reflected the mood of the New York public of the times. Sadly, these issues where subsequently written out of most future screenplays due to the rise of the Hollywood action blockbuster. Moral subtexts and ethical conundrums were replaced by the sledge hammer ideology of might is right. Heroes were given badges and the official sanction of the establishment and destroyed two dimensional enemies, without any need for ethical reflection or inner introspection.
The Punisher started life in 1974, as minor character in The Amazing Spiderman comic. He was unique in the fact that he was not a traditional super hero with special powers. He was simply an ex-marine turned vigilante after his family were executed by the Mafia. Due to the mood of the times, he struck a chord with the readers and quickly became a franchise in his own right. Naturally, such a character was deemed to have box office potential and was subsequently adapted for the screen three times. Dolph Lundgren took the lead in Mark Goldblatt's competent 1989 production and Thomas Jane explored the character again in 2004 directed Jonathan Hensleigh's. However, these films strayed somewhat from the central character and tended to focus upon his emotional turmoil. Both make for interesting genre viewing but essentially miss the simplicity and enigma of the central theme.
In Punisher: War Zone, directed by Lexi Alexander, Ray Stevenson takes on the role of Frank Castle. Finally, the character gets the treatment they deserves, in a vehicle that truly captures the original spirit of the comics and graphic novels. Punisher: War Zone is a bleak, extremely violent action film which shows us a man who has lost his soul and functions only to punish the guilty. His work brings him no pleasure, redemption or salvation. It simply provides him with a reason to exist. The religious and philosophical aspects of this are touched on but not explored excessively. This is a film that does not delude itself or the public about what it is about. All the classic protagonists are present. There is a scarred crime boss called Jigsaw (Dominic West) who fills the role of nemesis. Then there is the collaborator and armourer Micro (Wayne Knight) who articulates the justification for our anti-hero. The voice of the establishment and public morality is represented in FBI Agent Paul Budiansky (Colin Salmon).
Despite having a very troubled production (which I won't go in to here), Punisher: War Zone is a professionally made genre picture with some strong action scenes. The cast and script are exactly right for this sort of film. Stevenson is given more to do with the role than you may expect and sells his performance perfectly. West does not attempt to go beyond what is required as Jigsaw. Unlike Heath Ledger's Joker he is not out to score psychological points but simply wants revenge. For the purist action movie fan this is as good as it gets. Shame the US critics didn't see it this way. They made the mistake of looking for more within the material, when more was not required. Perhaps political correct sensibilities demanded some sort of moral sub-text or epiphany. Sorry but you won't find them here. To have pandered to such themes would have totally mitigated the source material and have been an artistic insult.
Punisher: War Zone received a very limited release in the UK due to its poor US box office returns, back in 2008. The emotive nature of the entire subject, is something that often resonates with a good many members of the public. We live in a civilised society that has laws and courts and a process for dealing with crime. We ponder the motives of the guilty and we endeavour to treat them with more humanity than they did their victims. Yet, despite what our heads and moral compass tells us, somewhere in our hearts many off us crave for this kind of hard justice. We know that in reality it would not work, yet the concept of the righter of wrongs who deals in lead, is a potent one that does not go away easily. We live in times where our confidence in the system is sorely tested.
Punisher: War Zone is not for everyone and cannot be considered a mainstream film. It is however, honest enough to be exactly as it should. Why the executives over at Lions Gate picture decided to release this during the Christmas season of 2008 is beyond me. Again, I think this is another example of studio politics and how certain producers still lack confidence in R rated movies, preferring to explore more lucrative options. So, in one respect Punisher: War Zone is a minor milestone is so far as don’t see a picture of this kind too often. Eight years on, Deadpool is the most comparable comparison. As the rights to The Punisher have now returned to Marvel and the franchise has found a home on Netflix, it is highly unlikely we’ll see another cinematic outing again.
