The Punisher is a decent comic book movie that was panned by critics but I for one didn't think the film was that bad it just wasn't great. Director Jonathan Hensleigh does an admirable job of adapting the comic book into a feature film keeping it moving at a steady pace with just the right amount of brutal violence thrown in for guilty pleasure. Thomas Jane is good in the title role as Frank Castle a former FBI Agent who becomes a vigilante known as The Punisher who sets his sights on punishing those responsible for murdering his family. Jane may not win any awards for his performance as Castle but he's admirable showing some real talent as an actor especially in the action/fight sequences. John Travolta turns in a decent performance as Howard Saint the man who ordered the hit on Franks family and is now on the top of his list of people to punish for what they did to him. Travolta makes for an effective villain but unfortunately he isn't given much to do and is easily defeated. I suggest you watch Broken Arrow or Face Off if you want to see Travolta as a much better villain than he is in this one mainly because he's given a lot more to do in those films. The rest of the cast including Will Patton, Laura Harrring, Ben Foster, and Rebecca Romijn Stamos are solid as the supporting characters but they like Travolta aren't given much to do. Roy Schieder as Franks father and Samantha Mathis as his wife show up for brief extended appearances before being being written out very quickly because most of the focus is on Jane. Kevin Nash the wrester even makes a cameo in a non speaking role as The Russian a killer for fire who goes after Castle and he does an all right job with his small part. The action/fight sequences are well executed, brutal, and intense but many of them are missing that WOW factor you occasionally get when watching one of these kind of films. The fight between Frank and The Russian is impressive but after a while it gets pretty unrealistic. The music is okay but nothing memorable like Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. Overall though despite it's flaws The Punisher still isn't that bad of a movie that has plenty of action, some character development, suspense, a little humor, and solid performances by the cast who make it worth watching at least once.
Review of The Punisher
