The belated sequel to Jonathan Hensleigh’s 2004 revenge thriller, based on a Marvel Comics character, is even more gratuitously violent than its predecessor.

Imagine every horrific injury inflicted on a human body and at some point in Punisher: War Zone, the trigger-happy lead character or his deranged arch-nemesis probably attempt it.

Throats are slashed, heads stomped, limbs scythed clean off and a chair leg thrust with extreme force into a welcoming eye socket.

‘Yummy yummy yummy in my tummy tummy tummy,’ grins the demented villain’s sidekick as he rips one poor sap’s kidneys from his still-beating chest and hungrily devours the organs with apple sauce lodged in the victim’s throat.

The film wears its 18 certificate like a badge of honour.

Director Lexi Alexander (Green Street) heightens every stomach-churning injury with spurts and spatter of blood and an array of unpleasant sound effects.

The meek and squeamish should abandon all hope now.

Still tormented by the murder of his wife and children, Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) kills criminals with the blessing of the police, who turn a blind eye to his bloodthirsty rampages.

During one violent foray, Frank accidentally shoots undercover cop Nicky Donatelli (Romano Orzari) and is consumed with guilt, vowing to make amends to the dead man’s wife Angela (Julie Benz) and young daughter, Grace (Stephanie Janusauskas).

Unfortunately, Angela isn’t in a forgiving mood, nor is Nicky’s cop buddy Paul Budiansky (Colin Salmon), who intends to bring in the Punisher and make him stand trial for his crimes.

Paul has to work alongside Frank when Angela and Benz are held hostage by hideously disfigured crime boss Billy Russoti (Dominic West) and his psychotic brother, Loony Bin Jim (Doug Hutchison).

Frank seeks firepower from his covert supplier, Micro (Wayne Knight), but even that relationship is compromised in the battle with Billy.

‘Billy’s dead. From now on, you call me Jigsaw,’ cackles the kingpin, whose horribly scarred face is the result of being thrown into a glass-crushing machine by Frank in the film’s lurid, opening sequence.

Punisher: War Zone racks up a body count well into triple figures, eviscerating almost the entire cast.

Goodness knows how the city mortuary copes with Frank on the loose! Stevenson is lifeless as the titular angel of death, replacing Thomas Jane from the first film, despatching foes without a flicker of emotion and an occasional one-liner (‘Let me put you out of my misery’).

West does a poor impersonation of Jack Nicholson’s Joker while Hutchison grins malevolently at everyone, despatching one two-dimensional supporting player with a groan-worthy pun: ‘I axed you a question!’ The father-daughter relationship with Grace is horribly contrived and does nothing to endear Frank to us as he crushes one goon’s face with a single punch.

Never has 103 minutes been so gruelling.

• Release Date: Friday 6 February 2009
• Certificate: 18
• Runtime: 103mins

More Pictures