[6] The film is directed by Lexi Alexander, from a screenplay written by Nick Santora, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway.

Having lost his family to mob violence, former Force Recon Marine Frank Castle has spent the last five years as a vigilante known as the Punisher.

Cesare's caporegime Billy "The Beaut" Russoti escapes to his recycling plant hideout, and Detectives Martin Soap and Saffiotti, who were staking out the party, inform Castle.

Distraught over killing the agent, Castle unsuccessfully attempts to make reparations to Donatelli's wife, Angela, and daughter, Grace.

Jigsaw, Loony Bin Jim and their two henchmen, Ink and Pittsy, break into Donatelli's house and hold the family hostage.

Castle tracks down Maginty, a known associate of Jigsaw, executing him after extracting the information before Budiansky and Soap apprehend him.

Jigsaw and his brother bargain with the FBI for their release by giving up Cristu Bulat, who was smuggling in a biological weapon destined for Arab terrorists in Queens, New York.

Micro bravely offers his life to save the girl, but Castle chooses to shoot Loony Bin Jim instead.

Other actors in smaller roles include Larry Day as FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Miller, Ron Lea as NYPD Captain Ross, Tony Calabretta as Soap's partner Detective Saffiotti, John Dunn-Hill as Don Gaitano Cesare, Bjanka Murgel as Jigsaw's girlfriend (credited as "Arm Candy"), Cas Anvar as Jigsaw's plastic surgeon, and Edward Yankie as the priest Father Mike.

[14] In February 2004, two months prior to The Punisher's theatrical debut, Lions Gate Entertainment announced the studio's intent to produce a sequel.

[17] In November, Jane said that the studio was interested in making a sequel based on successful DVD sales of The Punisher and was developing the preliminary budget for the follow-up.

[19] In April, Lions Gate Entertainment's CEO, Jon Feltheimer, confirmed at LGF's 2005 fiscal third quarter analyst call that the studio had completed its deal to develop The Punisher 2.

[24] In August, Marvel Entertainment revealed a new film slate that included The Punisher 2 on its partial list with production still to be determined.

[26] In addition, Lions Gate Entertainment, amidst the studios returning to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, announced that The Punisher 2 would begin filming within the year.

[34]In May 2007, director John Dahl was in talks to direct, but declined, citing a bad script and lack of budget as reasons for passing.

[43] In mid-September, the director announced cast members joining Stevenson with Dash Mihok as Detective Martin Soap, Colin Salmon as Agent Paul Budiansky, and Doug Hutchison as Loony Bin Jim.

It was announced on September 25 via The Hollywood Reporter that Dominic West will star as the main antagonist, Jigsaw, and Wayne Knight will play the Punisher's armorer, Microchip.

[45] Filming occurred from October 22 until December 14 in Montreal, Quebec, and in the nearby municipalities of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Brossard, Terrebonne, and Île Bizard.

[47] Filming locations included Lionel-Groulx station, the Five Roses Flour Plant, the Old Port, John Abbott College, the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Chinatown, and the Champlain Bridge.

On July 25, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News wrote an article claiming that Lexi Alexander had been removed as the film's director.

I think personally, in my opinion, it would have been very dangerous to put a compromise on the screen for my own career and for the promises I made to these actors who I talked into joining the film.

[53] While the film itself was a box office bomb, the soundtrack achieved considerable commercial success, reaching #23 on Billboard's 'Top Independent Albums' chart.

I knew I needed something dark, relentless and muscular, but I also couldn't forget Frank's humanity, his personal torment and deep sadness.

In order to make the character of Frank Castle seem less one dimensional, Wandmacher decided to include snare cadences and powerful, dynamic ostinatos and slowly rising string repetitions to mimic a relentless entity, like an approaching battalion.

[55] On its opening weekend, Punisher: War Zone grossed $4,271,451 in 2,508 theaters in the United States averaging $1,703 and ranking #8 at the box office.

The website's consensus reads: "Punisher: War Zone recalls the excessively violent, dialogue-challenged actioners of the 1980s, and coincidentally feels two decades out of date.

"[58] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 30 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

"[63] Comedian Patton Oswalt was a vocal supporter of the film since its release, calling it "THE BEST time I've had at the movies this year.