The Punisher Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
This Is Not Revenge. It's Punishment!
Judge, Jury, and Executioner is what The Punisher is.
Frank Castle has died...but has been reborn as THE PUNISHER.
On April 16th, one man fights for justice, NATURAL JUSTICE.
The punishment has begun.
Special agent Frank Castle had it all: A loving family, a great life, and an adventurous job. But when his life is taken away from him by a ruthless criminal and his associates, Frank has become reborn. Now serving as judge, jury, and executioner, he's a new kind of vigilante out to wage a one man war against those who have done him wrong.
| Will Patton | |
| John Travolta | |
| Rebecca Romijn | |
| Roy Scheider | |
| Laura Harring | Livia Saint |
| A. Russell Andrews | Jimmy Weeks |
| Omar Avila | Joe Toro |
| James Carpinello | Bobby Saint/John Saint |
| Mark Collie | Harry Heck |
| Russ Comegys | Tattooed Mike |
| Antoni Corone | T.J. |
| Rick Elmhurst | Bay News 9 Newscaster |
| Ben Foster | Spacker Dave |
| Michael Reardon | Toro Croupier |
| Will Hasenzahl | EMT |
| Thomas Jane | Frank Castle |
| Eddie Jemison | Micky Duka |
| Marco St. John | Police Chief Morris |
| Marcus Johns | Will Castle |
| Jonathan Hensleigh |
6.20 out of 10 (22074 votes)
Visitor Reviews
The True Punisher movie!
posted on 28 Aug 2009After seeing all 3 movies its more then easy for a true Punisher fan to see that this is the best Punisher movie. A great Story Line, Great Character Devolpment, Great Acting, Great Everything. Tom Jane is the best and most truest Punisher most close to the comic or your money back, Not only is he dangerous, Violent, Has the classic Frank Castle wit but also plays the complex torched side perfectly everything that Ray and to a lesser extent Dolph missed, Tom Jane IS The Punisher anyone that say otherwise doesn't know The Punisher. The fact that we got robbed of a sequel is very painful for a true Punisher fan. But at the very least we have this and the Dolph Ludgern Movie.
meh
posted on 27 Aug 2009I came into the punisher expecting great things, seeing as my favorite comic book character happens to be the punisher ever since I was 6. I wish I didn't see it so I could still hold it as a potential hit. I wont pussyfoot around and get to what I liked and disliked about it.
Liked:
1. There were scenes that made it cool and funny at different times.
2. The whole plot was genius in terms of the actual revenge against the big bad guy.
3. The acting was good and believable.
4. It's the f***ing punisher.
Disliked:
1. It wasn't violent enough. Its not that I'm a violence-crazed maniac, it's just that the punisher isn't really as light as portrayed in the movie. Unfaithfulness more than a light movie.
2. Not enough of the punishment scenes (one to my count)
3. Most of the dialogue was cheesy and just frigging bad.
4. It's not 30% faithful to the comics. I hate people who bitch about that but I hate to see it happen. If it was as faithful as the Spider-man franchise was in the newer movies then I would have been happier.
see it if its on tv, or borrow it from someone who owns it
Revolta Ruins Again
posted on 25 Aug 2009In 2003 I wrote a review on Amazon for the original Punisher movie from 1989. For those of you unfamilair with it, it is a one-man-army flick with Dolph Lundren. In the review, I bashed it for being terrible, unwatchable, mindless manure. Then I praised the possibilities of the forthcoming Punisher movie, which was to be released in 2004. I said that at the very least, it couldn't be any worse than the Dolph disaster.
How incredibly wrong I was.
I hereby retract every bad thing I said about the 1989 Punisher movie. Because compared to this, it looks like Citizen Cane.
John Travolta ruins another potentially good movie, as he always does. He is like cinematic sulfuric acid, everything he touches disintergrates, and horribly so. That's scientology for you, hey, John?
But Travolta is not alone in making this stink like fresh dog droppings.
Everyone associated with this movie should be catapulted into a vault of enraged hornets.
Because honestly, this film could have been the first adult graphic novel to big screen adaptation to work. Instead it failed in every possible way. Then SIN CITY came along and proved that such a transfer could be done. That movie worked in all the ways The Punisher failed.
First of all, everything that makes the Punisher character interesting and different from other action movie goons is gone. He is younger, shrimpier and played by a boring man named Tom Jane whose acting ability makes me yearn for the range of David Duchovney.
Secondly, the movie is written and directed in a childish, ADD manner, making everything in it seem purposeless (which it is).
Why do they always make The Punisher an ex-cop in these movies? The comics made him a former Vietnam Vet. That worked better.
Why do they make him young? In the comics he's in his late fifties, making him a more uncanny and much more interesting anti-hero.
Why do they rip-off things from The Crow (the burning image of a skull on the ground, for example)?
Why do they let Travolta speak when all he's gonna do is puke out lines like: "Maybe he died and came back to life just so we could kill him again."? This is dialouge so poor that even ol' Dolph wouldn't touch it.
This movie should go down in the big book of Hollywood abominations. Because you need'nt be a fan of the comic to know this stinks, you merely need to be someone with moderately good taste.
This movie, at best, throws back to the eighties-one-man-army trip which made slugs like Dolph stars, but it fails to even be that because the action isn't very good or original or bloody ... and by all means the Dolph movie surpasses this on that level as well as others.
For example, in the Dolph one his immediate family is killed. In this one every memeber of his family, dating back six generations is killed in a ridiculous attack. This over-the-top overkill goes on and on. Okay, they killed his family, we get it!!
Meanwhile, in the comics, his immediate family was killed as innocent bystanders. This is more poetic when it comes to him killing ALL criminals, don't you think?
But that's the fabulous comic for you. This movie is not about a vigilante, it is about an ex-cop who is getting revenge for his dead family, all three hundred of them. Which makes one ask: then how is this a Punisher movie? Well, in the last nano-second he implies that he's gonna go after all criminals now.
Oh yeah, and he has a skull on his chest.
This movie just barely escapes being on a level of inferiority and crappiness normaly reserved for the likes of BATTLEFIELD EARTH and HALLOWEEN 8. While not quite that bad, I must say that at least you can laugh at BATTLEFIELD EARTH's quality of bad, whereas this movie is just plain bad to the point where you can't even endure it.
This is THE HULK bad, it's so bad.
Burn this movie. Then step on it's ashes and curse at them in a frenzy.
A damn good movie
posted on 24 Aug 2009The Punisher is a damn good movie. This is coming from somebody who never understood the appeal of the Death Wish or Dirty Harry movies.I suppose those movies would appeal to you if you believed that any consideration of human rights only served to interfere in carrying out of the righteous slaughter of the criminal element of society.Nevermind the debate on capital punishment, let's just skip the arrest, the trial and jury deliberations and just shoot criminals on sight! Hell, for that matter, why should I take the time to recommend this movie at all when I obviously strongly disagree with the very notion that any one man has the right to decide who lives and who dies? Indeed, there is even the subtle implication in the phrase "this is not revenge but punishment" that suggests that The Punisher is acting out of righteous indignation when he plays the role of judge, jury and executioner!Thing is, as I said, this is a good movie, probably too good for the genre which is why it, ironically, didn't do as well as might have been expected.The basic problem, I suppose, was that this is not quite the same character as in the comics: in the comics, The Punisher was a Vietnam War vet who, after seeing his family shot down in a gangland style massacre in Central Park, snapped and started going after all criminals. I presume that he did so with the objective of, in the process, killing the people responsible for his family's death but, in the comics anyway, he didn't see it so much as his personal revenge but as some kind of war. The movie character is slightly different in the sense that Frank Castle (Thomas Jane), having apparently finished his military service, had been working for the FBI, hunting down the very criminals who ended up killing his family. In the movie, the murder of his family is no longer random and neither is his response. The result is a more thoughtful, more methodical character who can imagine more inventive ways of punishing you than simply blowing your head off.The fact that Frank Castle didn't go straight to Howard Saint(John Travolta)'s home and blow his head off in act one was, no doubt, a source of great frustration to fans of the Death Wish and Dirty Harry movies. (Indeed, the character of the Punisher in the comics was no doubt inspired by these movies.)I must confess that I, too, was a bit confused seeing Frank Castle taking pictures and carrying around a fake fire hydrant. But where is the satisfaction in seeing the villain die without first being made to suffer?When Frank Castle's plan started to come together, I was satisfied to see that he had taken the time to play with his opponents head before blowing it off.After all, when a man has killed your entire family, one has the obligation to go to the extra effort of attacking him on more than one level!Of course, we are "treated" to scenes in which the villains are shown to be truly evil so that we don't feel bad about their demise (much in the same way that the wedding massacre was shown over and over again in Kill Bill 1 & 2 in the hopes that we wouldn't start routing for the "bad" guys): Howard Saint kills one of his own men, his wife (Laura Harring) orders the massacre of Frank Castle's family, his second-in-command (Will Patton) carries it out and his surviving son has the honour of actually (making an attempt at) killing Frank Castle in revenge for his brother's death.Even so, Frank Castle's neighbour (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) asks the obvious question "What makes you any different from them?"Well, he isn't any different. That was the point of the comics when he first appeared as a villain in the Spiderman series, a point that got lost along the way when he went on to get his own series. But in this movie I was able to root for this protagonist precisely because he was following the golden rule and doing unto the villains exactly as they had planned to do to him. Indeed, as I have already stated above, for Frank Castle to have killed Howard Saint in the first act would have made the rest of the movie not only anti-climactic but would have rendered the movie completely soulless with Frank Castle going on to kill random drug dealers with whom he didn't have a personal grudge.Of course, with that in mind, I dread to think what a sequel to this movie would be like. Presumably, in a sequel, Frank Castle would be no different from the character in the comics, deciding who lives and who dies on the spot and without any sense of remorse, one way or the other. While I understand Thomas Jane's enthusiasm in wanting to make a sequel, I no sooner want to spend two hours watching the Punisher shoot people than I would want to watch a Hulk sequel which was merely two hours of "Hulk Smash!"Of course, there is always the chance, should a Punisher sequel ever be made, that I might be pleasantly surprised, yet again. Maybe.
Great movie, But Blu Ray doesn't deliver
posted on 23 Aug 2009I already owned this movie on DVD, and I love it. That is not the point of this review. Blu Ray, completely failed to "WoW" me at all with this title. The video looked like an upconverted DVD. Which I can get from a MUCH cheaper DVD player and disc. The video is consistantly grainy throughout the movie. Now I have since watched "Casino Royale" on Blu Ray and it looked much better, but still suffered from the same grainy video in some scenes. I also have an HD DVD player and have several movies in that format as well, and they have never had anything similar to this problem.
Better than its box office
posted on 14 Aug 2009Flawed though it is, The Punisher should be applauded as a blessedly CG-free comic book adaptation that is largely true to its roots and delivers some satisfying chunks of meaty action. In order to secure a youth-friendly certificate, punch-pulling Hollywood has been reducing too many heroes to bloodless abominations of late – see Daredevil, Hellboy, King Arthur and the risible Catwoman for details.Looking like Christopher Lambert's younger brother, Tom (Thomas/Tommy/T-boy?) Jane broods nicely as Frank Castle, the former super-soldier and undercover cop out to return the family-massacring 'favour' done to him by pipe-smoking, money-laundering villain Howard Saint, played by Travolta in typically mannered style.The big bangs and gunplay to be expected of the tried-and-trusted storyline are interspersed by a few neat quirks (a guitar-playing hit-man, Roy Scheider in a what's-he-doing-here? cameo, the burning-cars-as-logo finale), but what should be a lean narrative is made flabby by the unnecessary introduction of Castle's odd bunch of flatmates. Only in the movies do girls who look like Rebecca Romijn-Stamos work in breakfast bars and live in filthy tenement blocks. The tone is uneven too, with the generally calculated viciousness of Castle's vendetta at odds with, for instance, a decidedly tongue-in-cheek scuffle with a Russian man mountain played to opera.But why The Punisher flopped isn't altogether clear. Maybe audiences demand that all their comic-based movies look like PlayStation games or be fronted by big names? Because The Punisher's brand of solid, if unremarkable, entertainment is much more enjoyable than watching Ben Affleck flouncing around in a PVC gimp outfit.
WOW...I should have saw this one on the BIG screen!
posted on 13 Aug 2009I bought this movie without ever seeing it and knowing that many critics had bashed this one pretty bad. Thanks to some of the amazon.com reviewers giving it 4 or 5 stars, I thought maybe it would be better than the critics thought and I knew it had to be much better than Daredevil. This movie is so much fun from start to finish! Way better than Daredevil or The Hulk and to me just as good as the first two Spiderman films. The action is good throughout without going too over the top and the creative kills were a nice touch to an already violent movie. Tom Jane nails the part of Frank Castle here and is a joy to behold as his character changes from family man to a one man assault team. I heard John Travolta went over the top here, but to me he plays a pretty laid back bad guy and I like what he did with this role. Yes, the neighbors are a little annoying (they were in the comics too), but there screen time is limited. The only character I really didn't was the model turned actress who played the third neighbor. She just couldn't act and got on my nerves fast. This is a must buy for all action and comic hero movie fans out there! This one will be watched many times in the coming weeks. High replay value = A worthy purchase.
The only people punished by this film were those who watched it.
posted on 12 Aug 2009I am a fan of the idea here - a vigilante killing bad guys with no need for the law to get involved. Similar to Judge Dredd, Max Payne, Death Wish etc. And after looking at numerous positive reviews on IMDb re: this film - I was looking forward to watching it. Boy was I disappointed.This is one of the worst big budget movies I've ever seen. A quick plot synopsis: Howard Saint's (drug dealer - John Travolta) son, is killed during a drug bust in which Frank Castle / Punisher (Thomas Jane) was involved. Saint has Frank's family killed, and attempts to have Frank killed - but he somehow survives. Frank embarks on a quest to get revenge on Saint, his family, and his henchmen.The film is poorly done. The audience is forced to suspend their disbelief beyond acceptable limits. Somehow, the main character survives being shot multiple times at point-blank range and shoved off a pier. He is rescued by some witch-doctor-type and nursed back to health. Not only "health" but "super-human strength" too. There is not much "realism" on show here - as the Punisher seems to have an unlimited supply of cash nor ever gets bothered by the cops. Not only that but the Punisher is again shot in the chest twice in the climatic battle and continues on as if it was a paper cut.The dark nature of the revenge motive in this film is completely wiped out by the bright cinematography and pastel colours of Miami. Plus the posturing and obvious posing by the main character - how many times did he look off camera in a 'don't-mess-with-me-i'm-hard' kind of way? - ruins it. One or two poses - you may get away with but after 10 - it gets a little tiresome. Not to mention stupid.Also - and I really don't know what this scene was meant to portray - the most ridiculous scene in the film sums it up as a 'not-to-be-taken-seriously' flick. Castle is having breakfast in a diner and this Mariachi enters, takes a guitar out of a case and gives a terrible Johnny Cash impression whilst singing Castle a song. It turns out he is a bounty hunter trying to kill Castle which he tries to do outside on a (conveniently) deserted road/bridge afterwards. Why didn't he just save himself the bother and shoot Castle through the window he was sitting next to and save the audience the embarrassment of having to look at / listen to him in the diner.To finally cap this terrible film - the hero sets off a load of explosives in the end, forming a laughable flame skull ala his T-shirt / Film's logo - whilst all the time serving as a background to his pretty 'I'm hard' pose!!! Laughable.The only people punished by this film were those who watched it.3/10
Another `Somebody's Done Somebody Wrong' Song
posted on 10 Aug 2009SPOILERS INCLUDEDRevenge is a difficult dish to serve. The appetizer has to properly prepare the main course so one can truly enjoy the flavors that come out of it. Rather than speaking metaphorically, it means that the hero has to be likeable enough and crime heinous enough for the audience to root for the guy who is doling out all the brutal karma to those that wronged him in the first place. The character is spot on and the crime is brutal enough in this faithful big screen adaptation of Marvel Comics' `The Punisher', but the mix isn't quite right. (Although far better than the 1989 adaptation with Dolph Lundgren in the lead role.) What we are left with is a solid enough revenge story that should have taken a cue from its own hero that it might be more fun (and successful) by breaking some rules of story telling instead of connecting all the dots in order.Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) is a top-notch undercover FBI agent who has lost the taste for his profession and is retiring. Unfortunately, one of the casualties of his last sting operation was Bobby Saint (James Carpinello) a son of drug cartel money launderer, Howard Saint (John Travolta). Saint doesn't take kindly to one of his twin sons being killed by an FBI set-up, and orders his men to find and kill the one chiefly responsible. That puts former agent Frank Castle unknowingly back into harm's way as he attends a family reunion. Saint's men track Castle down at the joyous family occasion and proceed to slaughter everyone (at the request of Mrs. Livia Saint, played by Laura Harring) in attendance including his wife and son. Saint's men mistakenly leave Frank for dead, and after some glossed-over medical attention, he is free to re-emerge as the vindictive Punisher. The rest of the movie is Frank/Punisher finding increasingly violent ways to get under Saint's skin, dodging his friendly new neighbors and trying not to succumb to too much Wild Turkey.The film takes the whole first act setting up and destroying Frank's family. It's admirable to try and give validity to characters that are nothing more than the literary carrot that keeps Frank moving forward. However, this moviegoer had a difficult time buying any member of the family. They were simply too perfect. The tolerant wife, the grizzled grandfather and the whole smiling show of the family reunion was too inconsistent with the rest of the movie. The only hint of reality was the slight resentment Frank's son had about having to relocate for Frank's job. The movie starts to have fun once Frank has set himself to revenge and donned the black T-shirt with the trademark skull.The comical scene where Frank tortures mob lackey Mickey Duka (Eddie Jemison from `Ocean's Eleven') by convincing him that a popsicle is really the too-hot touch of a blowtorch is more true to the spirit of the movie than anything that has to do with his family. (And that scene is the real beginning of the adventure promised in the trailer.) The movie's focus is rightly on the thrill of revenge and reckless freedom in Frank's incarnation as The Punisher. Building some mystery by introducing the ruthless Punisher first and flashing back to bits of Frank's old life and tragedy would have been more effective than spending so much time on poorly characterized people we know to be doomed before the credits roll.There is some creativity breathing in the design of this rather traditional revenge thriller. Travolta has the sophisticated psycho role down cold, and still manages to bring sincerity to Howard Saint, an original character not found in the comic books. Thomas Jane's commitment to the character is unwavering, and he becomes The Punisher completely. His gravely delivery, squinting eyes, hard body and dyed black hair are worthy of any comic book cover in the series. Frank's new home in the slums of Tampa, Florida has three other residents: Dave (Ben Foster), Bumpo (John Pinette) and Joan (Rebecca Romijn-Staymos in a brilliant bit of red-herring casting). These three cast members add well-placed levity and humanity to the story. They are getting by in their wrong-side-of-the-tracks lives, and are friendly enough to want to know more about the mysterious brooder who has moved in down the hall. It takes some accidental meetings and a sneaky invite to dinner, but they do get him to open up just a fraction. This is just in time for the film's most inspired scene where the neighbors preparing desert and lip synching to opera music is juxtaposed with Frank fighting for his life against a huge assassin who has tracked him down. Frank's twisting Saint's own fears to the point where it culminates in Saint killing some of his own is brutally ironic. However, that playful spirit goes out like a light when the final showdown between the Punisher and Saint comes about. It's back to brutal revenge again, and all the pyrotechnics in western Florida can't brighten that.With some reordering, the movie would have been raised a few notches. Comic book fans will want this to succeed more than it does, and action fans will get their dose of thrilling sequences. Revenge tales are nothing new, and the formula will stay appropriately the same until eternity comes to pass. The details are all right and full of surprises. (The spring-loaded knife was great, as was the champagne bucket.) However, keeping the tone focused is the crucial thing missing here. Marvel Comics has proven that raising the bar on comic book movies can make them very entertaining. While Frank might get his revenge, his fans certainly deserve a little something better.5 out of 10
vigilante-style justice done right
posted on 10 Aug 2009If you like the old Clint Eastwood & Charles Bronson revenge movies then you'll like this film. Great pace and action that's gritty but extremely enjoyable. I can't say I knew anything about this Punisher character before seeing this film but I thoroughly enjoyed it none-the-less.The Punisher is a shining example of revenge and vigilante-style justice done right. It's also yet another comic book adaptation done properly. In fact, this may be the first time I wished we could give half-vaults, because it was just that good. In the compendium of comic movies, this falls just shy of the two X-Men movies, but it is right there with Spider-Man and easily surpasses Batman, Superman and The Hulk. The fact that it is an R-rated movie killed any possible chance of decent box-office numbers, but it was a necessary step to take, and the quality of the movie just makes up for it. Hopefully this was Thomas Jane's breakout role.
Why Are We Still Being Punished?
posted on 09 Aug 2009After 2 attempts, no one seems to get this Marvel Comic Book hero. Still, this is much better than the first attempt. Thomas Jane, virtually emotionless, tries to flesh out our hero, but is too cold for us to really care. Travolta again plays an over the top villain, he seems to be auditioning for one of those silly "Batman" villains. The action is plentiful, but not at a good clip. The fight scenes are good, but too long, and the love interest that tries to emerge looks phoney and staged. The ending is predictable, but overall is still fun at times, mainly for the Tampa skyline. A hero with so much following deserves a better attempt as a movie. Lets put some heart in these cult comic book heroes. We love these characters and they deserve just as much effort as "Spiderman" or "Batman." Alright, better than "Batman."
HUGE disappointment
posted on 04 Aug 2009I went into this movie with high hopes, having been an avid reader of the book, and especially the more recent Garth Ennis-penned books from which this movie draws some of its elements (Joan, Spacker Dave and Mr. Bumpo, Harry Heck, the Russian, etc.). What a letdown it was. This movie was made without a trace of visual style or creative art direction. Granted, the action set pieces were adequate, which puts it at least on a par with the Dolph Lundgren original (which isn't saying much), but the director seems not to know much about staging or where to place the camera. The location alone was a joke--Tampa, Florida? The original story is so steeped in the culture of New York that it seemed more than a bit out of place here. Further deviations from the source material also served to ruin the film: Joan in the book is much more introverted and meek (she is agoraphobic and nicknamed "The Mouse" by Frank), the Russian was a lovably powerful and dangerously dim-witted henchman, and his demise in the book was much more creative and hilarious. The film attempted to include elements of the dark humor of the Ennis books, without staying true to the stories, situations and style. The only real evidence of this is the way in which Frank dispatches the main villain. The one element of this film that almost worked for me was the elaborate set-up of Howard Saint--this was nearly Shakesperean in its complexity, but seemed like it belonged in a totally different movie. The score was insipidly bland and devoid of any major themes, and the song placement seemed arbitrary and uninspired--merely an excuse to pimp a few noteworthy (and not-so-noteworthy) rock bands. What a waste of celluloid.For a better acted, better written, better filmed and directed action-revenge flick, check out "Man On Fire." That movie has visual style to spare and a soundtrack to die for--things that "The Punisher" were sorely lacking, considering that the rest of the film is pretty standard.
It Ain't No Spiderman!
posted on 02 Aug 2009Just as our reluctant hero is forced into situations he might otherwise would have avoided, I too, being the reluctant viewer, found myself in a dark place. The Punisher is billed as an Action-Adventure Thriller and there were action scenes... at times. And I was thrilled when the credits began to role. -- At this point, it's understandable to ask why I didn't just get up and leave, but as you, yourself, may reply, "I had to see if he made it, and how!"Unfortunately, the acting was flat (the only sign of life being Rebecca Stamos's portrayal of 'Joan'), and John Travolta is still hung up on his Pulp Fiction role. The story was under-developed and the climax was, well... anti-climatic. This was an agonizingly boring movie. Though it was dark (but rightly so), and the line between good & evil / right & wrong was completely obliterated, there was one shining element about The Punisher: I got to see it using a free pass from a mechanical failure the last time I went to that theatre!
The Best Punisher it beats the Bejesus out of the Dolph Lundgren version!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted on 31 Jul 2009I say this because I own the 1989 version where Dolph Lundgren portrayed Frank Castle in a not so appealing way I mean it was good but after I saw it a few times I said that they either will never remake this movie or they will wait for the exact right time, well I was right and I love it when I am right. Thomas Jane I must commend him on portraying Frank Castle (The Punisher) so effectively he was everything I expected from someone who was killed and came back to give PUNISHMENT to those who do wrong. I can't say I followed the comics but if there was a website where I can read comics I would do just that because The Punisher kicks major ass, I don't know if they plan to continue this series of The Punisher but I think they should but you never know with Hollywood they do one movie then they get tired with that and do some cheesy Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck flick or so it seems to me but I opt to see a sequel or two of The Punisher and for all those who are thinking about seeing this well if you love Action Movies as well as Comic Books Marvel that is then SEE THIS MOVIE IT WILL BE THE BEST THING YOU DO! I plan to see this movie a few more times, I am a huge fan of Marvel Comics and I am so glad that they are making theatrical versions of their creations it's the best time to bring them to the screen I mean the technology is superb and you can do most anything now not like in 1989. Well I am running out of things to say so thank you for taking the time to read my review, watch for more reviews by me.
SWEET REVENGE
posted on 30 Jul 2009This is a comic book movie, folks. So if it plays like one, isn't that what was expected? Thomas Jane (Stander, Dreamcatcher, Deep Blue Sea) stars as Frank Castle, a special FBI agent, whose involvement in a sting operation results in the death of the son of a nasty criminal named Howard Saint (played by the ever evil John Travolta). Travolta's revenge is to have Castle killed, but dear Salome-like wife Livia (a torchy Laura Harring) wants Castle's whole family wiped out. This is accomplished at a family reunion of Castle's family on Puerto Rico. Dad Roy Scheider and Castle's whole family are brutally murdered; Castle himself is shot and left for dead. Mistake # 1, and it's a big one. Castle nurses himself back to health and sets out to even the score. He hides out in a dumpy apartment building, where his good neighbors include Rebecca Stamjin-Stamos in one of her best performances and the delightful Ben Foster as Dave, a nose/eyebrow/mouth-studded wimp whose loyalty and friendship are to be commended. The inclusion of this trio adds some warmth and humor to the otherwise dark proceedings.
Jonathan Hensleigh directs like a junior John Woo; the film is violent, and there are some exceptionally good action scenes. Kevin Nash as the Russian is awesome in his short battle with poor Frank.
Thomas Jane has been accused of being lifeless and dull--I found him very good in the role. If your whole family and life had been obliterated, how would YOU act? While vigilante justice isn't to be condoned, IN A FILM LIKE THIS, you cheer for Jane to take care of the vile group. Will Patton as the gay henchman, Samantha Mathis as Castle's doomed wife are also excellent.
Critically bombed unjustly, I recommend this film for people who like action and seeing justice served.
Good adrenaline pumping action, great story, great acting... A+
posted on 29 Jul 2009This movie had everything a Marvel comic fan could ask for, great leading characters; great story that stays true to the comics; low campiness; and high appeal... finally, a Punisher storyline that does the character justice.A lot of people like to compare and contrast this 2004 version and the 1989 version, which is kind of pointless since the two versions are complete opposites. They seem to think the 2004 version deludes the character; he doesn't "avenge" as wantonly as he should. All heroes/anti-heroes have some traumatic events that made them who they are.The 1989 movie was set in the character's "adolesensce" after all the horrible events of his life got to him and made him into the unbridled psycho-avenger we know and love. whereas the 2004 one takes place at the beginning of his madness,; it shows us the character's descention into madness. In effect, throughout the movie is Frank Castle, at the end Frank becomes the Punisher. 10/10
Another illogical movie...
posted on 29 Jul 2009The only things good about this movie is the image and sound. Well more generally technical is correct.But the story have no sense. And it's boring to watch. Imagine you don't know where a guy is but killer you pay know. Man !Actor/actress do their possible but the scenario is so bad, that the result is bad too.I give 4/10 for this movie. I think many producer think people who watch movies are idiot. Well sure they can pay people on magazine to say "how good" is the moviee they produce Just they forget not all people can be buy by money !I don't suggest you to rent this movie. And if somebody give for gift don't accept it.
Down And Dirty
posted on 29 Jul 2009Just to give you some frame of reference for what you are foolishly about to read: 1. I am a huge fan of comics and 2. I am a huge fan of action movies I realise that these two facts will dishearten anyone who has any actual taste when it comes to movies but if you'll bare with me I'll try to explain my reason for giving such a poorly regarded film a big dirty 8.0 rating.First off, with regard to comics, I am an avid reader and fan of a variety of comics including those of Garth Ennis who has recently rebooted The Punisher as an adult title for Marvel and happens to hail from just up the road in good old Ireland. While I have only read a few of Mr Ennis' Punisher comics I am familiar with his very highly regarded Preacher series and as such I am accustomed to both his rampantly violent style and his off kilter sense of humour. I am not, however, a sad little comic book nerd who cries tears of blood because they change a comic in adapting it. As such The Punisher is a triumph of adaptation and bodes very well for more off the wall comic adaptations in future. Ennis' style is funny, fairly sick, constantly violent, brutally honest and always entertaining. The film loses some of the subtleties (and gains John "Look at my head" Travolta) of a long drawn-out comic series but it nails the tone of Ennis' sick world. This, as is obvious from what I've read, hasn't sat very well with some viewers who were expecting more of a straight down the line action film. Well sod them, straight down the line action films are boring and ten a penny these days, I appreciate the curveball.Now, with regard to my obsession with "The Action Movie", I loved Hensleigh's efforts here. No computer generated nonsense, no shoehorned in romantic subplot and no watered down politically correct hero. The Punisher is an old school action film. The camera does not detach itself from reality in order to follow th path of a bullet or any other such matrix inspired twaddle. We just get good old fashioned shoot outs, car chases and fist fights. I have since learned that this is, in part, because of a limited budget but I loved the small (ish) scale of the action and the focus on smaller showdowns rather than all out warfare. I was reminded of directors like Peter Yates, John Sturges, Sergio Leone, Don Siegel and Robert Aldrich, the people who invented the action film before musclehead Hollywood of the eighties and nineties hijacked it.In short, despite the presence of John Travolta's head and some other niggles, I loved The Punisher because it combined something old (and rarely practiced these days) with something new (and strange) to make something original.
The Way to Go
posted on 30 Aug 2009The comic book world of movies is something have molded into spiderman. It seems that we all think that the hero should always be the good guy and never kill anyone on purpose. This is not the fact that any die hard comic book fan has known to love. They are violent and people do not always die on accident. This is why THE PUNISHER was suck a great film with it's paper cutters to the head and R rating. It showed that marvel comics is not all spiderman and web slinging but knifes through the teeth and arrows through the neck. I only wish that people could have figured that out when Daredevil came out and I saw Mom's pulling their 7 year old kids out of the theater because they could not believe he did not pull Casada up from in front of the train. The Punisher is a movie that takes away Marvel MO of being a seven year Peter Parker, Mary Jane remake of Superman movies. I know that this violent Marvel Movie will spark more acceptance to movies like Daredevil and superheroes that do not beat people up but actually kill the people that attack them.