The Punisher (2004) User Reviews

Underrated.

[papanloveu · 7/10 · 27 September 2021]

I can't call this a bad movie but its also hard to consider it good. Thomas Jane was a great choice for Frank Castle but he isn't given a chance to show his Punisher off. The story is slow and tries to be a Character study but misses the mark even on that. A little more action and a higher body count would really have helped this film. Travolta gets to ham it up and does a good job as the main Villian but even he wasn't given enough time to really develop the Character. I dont hate the movie.

Classic revenge brought to our generation.

[TimLax51 · 7/10 · 26 January 2006]

This movie came onto the scene with very little fanfare. It isn't a CGI powerhouse. There's no Matrix/Kill Bill style fight scenes. But what it lacks in modern trends it more than makes up for in a good old fashioned revenge plot. Touting a story that would have been fit for a Clint Eastwood flick like Outlaw Josey Wales or Hang 'em High, the Punisher takes the viewer on journey into the soul of a gritty vigilante. Thomas Jane plays the lead role to perfection, his voice acting is incredible. Although this isn't your daddy's (or Dolph's) emotionless Punisher. He is much more cerebral here than in most of the other media he has popped up in, and more human, but not any more humane. Using the tried and true style of fist fights and pyrotechnics this movie keeps the character rooted in his all too mortal persona. The supporting characters turn in equally descent roles, the likes of John Travolta worked well, although nothing outstanding. No doubt about it, Thomas Jane ran away with this one. He's just a normal guy doing super-normal things, with a lot of gunfire and explosions to boot. If you are in the target demographic (Male aged 17-30) you will definitely enjoy this film. If not, proceed at your own risk.

Don't be so quick to write this off, it's better than you think.

[oneguyrambling · 7/10 · 17 December 2010]

Apart from one baffling and totally infuriating scene (one that was simply lousy and poorly conceived), The Punisher totally defied my initial expectations (that it would suck), and is actually quite good.

Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) is an ex soldier and undercover cop, completing one last job before he leaves the force permanently to spend more time with his family. The job of course goes a little awry and results in the unplanned death of one of the criminals. No biggie, he shouldn't have been a naughty boy in the first place. Only this naughty boy happened to be the son of one Howard Saint (John Travolta) who is a local underworld kingpin and drug-lord. Saint swears revenge on all and sundry… and what revenge it is.

At the behest of his trophy wife Saint orders the wholesale execution of everyone that ever bought Castle a Christmas present. Luckily for them Castle is attending a family reunion so the bad guys can save petrol, and as requested they drop the entire family, Mum, Dad, cousins, Aunties and Uncles on the spot in cold blood. Castle wife and young son are left for near last for dramatic effect, and after a chase it is obvious that they will not appear in any sequel. Castle himself is left for dead, riddled with holes on a burning dock… And this is where the bad guys screw up. Everyone else, and I mean EVERYONE ELSE at the soiree, are left deader than Lindsay Lohan's career, yet they have the primary target at their feet and neglect to put one in his temple just to make sure? Haven't they seen Zombieland? Some mysterious black guy (whose significance I just couldn't get) saves Castle and brings him back to health, and in a cheesy moment Castle just "happens" to find his son's T shirt with the Punisher skull logo on it, weeks after the shootings, on the beach.

Castle somehow gets back to the US unnoticed and sets about plotting his revenge and hitting the bottle, and not always in that order. He moves into what looks on the outside to be a squatter's residence but inside seems to be fully furnished and well maintained apartments. His neighbours are basically three, a fat guy, an "alternative" guy with a bunch of piercings and a chick who might scrub up well after a shower (it's Rebecca Romjin so we know she will).

Castle spends a while coming up with a way to ensure his revenge is particularly sweet, and above all convoluted and largely unnecessary seeing as how in the end he still walks into impossible odds with guns blazing. But it seems there were 60 odd minutes of screen time to fill so let's just go with it. The plan involves working through the chain of command up to Saint via his money, business, 2IC and finally his trophy wife.

Once the wheels are in motion Castle goes public and more or less tells everyone what's going to happen, but for ages neither the cops or the bad guys seem to be able to find him. When he does show up he invariably ends up killing people yet again no cops can catch him, and the forensic guys obviously don't look that hard for DNA or basic evidence.

There is some "more violent than usual in comic book films" action, a great one on one stoush involving an indiscreet and frankly monstrous assassin and a pretty funny faux-torture scene (as funny as torture can be I guess).

Travolta is a pretty good bad guy in this, largely because I think he is no longer a likable good guy unless you're a middle aged woman with recurring Grease flashbacks, and as Howard Saint he is always angry and seems to be talking with a mouthful of cotton wool. Jane is more efficient than I expected, he is pretty solid and believable in the action and fight scenes, plays the gruff p*ssed off loner well and spits out some pretty good, albeit dry, one liners. The final showdown between Castle and multiple bad guys is very entertaining and sees him exacting the appropriate level of revenge… So that's the good bits, but a 7.5 can't be all good.

The bad:

* - The fat supposed comic-relief neighbour who mimes opera is terrible and annoying.

* - In one scene Castle must swerve to avoid the most clichéd reason in cinema, the kid running onto the road chasing a big red ball.

* - The cheesy way they decided to shoehorn the Punisher logo into the climax of the film, forced and distracting.

The awful:

* - A hired assassin comes to kill Castle, only he shows up at the diner where Castle is eating, pulls out a guitar case and… sings him a song first!! Worse than terrible - f*cking annoying is more to the point. I squirm every time it comes up and reach for the remote. Removing this scene and opera-miming fat guy and this is an 8.

This was a pleasant surprise aside from my above whinges, a low key comic book movie with realistic violence and great character foundation. After all what could be more inspiring than watching everyone that features in your personal photo album being butchered in front of you.

Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. Don't be fooled by your pre-conceived opinions, this is better than you might think.

"Isn't science fun, Mickey?"

[DarthBill · 20 April 2004]

A fairly good adaptation of the Marvel Comics vigilante character originally introduced in the Spider-Man comic books.

Former soldier and FBI man Frank Castle (exit Dolph Lundgren, enter Baltimore native Thomas Jane of "Deep Blue Sea" and "Dream-Catcher", who's about six or seven inches shorter than Dolph Lundgren but still pretty buffed up and also a naturally blond man having dyed his hair black to match the character's appearance in the comics) has retired from the action and is looking forward to living a quiet life with his wife and kid. While attending a family reunion at the beach (Roy Scheider plays his dad) Frank's family is attacked by assassins sent by Howard Saint (John Travolta) to avenge the death of one of his sons from Frank's last mission. In a shot similar to the original "Mad Max" (1979), Frank's wife and son are brutally run over with a giant truck while his father, brothers and in laws are gunned down. After being beaten to a pulp and shot in the chest and nearly blown to bits, Frank is saved by a local and nursed back to health. Naturally, he is enraged at the heartless murder of his family and goes after Howard saint, his wife, son, and secretly gay lawyer, thirsting for revenge. He sets up his base of operations in a run down building with three misfit neighbors - a sexy but unloved waitress, a guy with lots of piercings in his face, and an over weight Asian guy.

In many ways closer to the comic book than the earlier film, this one manages to get the skull shirt in there and remembers to at least mention that Frank was originally a soldier before going and making him a cop/FBI guy. Thoug Thomas Jane is not as physically imposing as Dolph Lundgren, he still manages to be a fairly menacing yet sympathetic figure. John Travolta delivers his usual joyful villain routine. Rebecca R-Stamos of the X-Men films (and yes, I know she's separating from her husband John) plays the sexy but unloved waitress who's spent the last few years trying to keep undesirable men out of her panties but once she gets an eyeful of Frank she wants to get into his pants because he's a strong, confident Alpha male who sticks up for the underdog and tries to steer Frank away from his suicide new life style. Rebecca is okay in this role, certainly no worse than any other comic book movie love interest.

One thing that surprised me about this film was how much humor was in it, whether it was Frank's fight with a giant blond Russian thug or his torturing the informant to be by threatening to blow torch him while actually burning a thing of meat while poking him in the back with an ice pop ("You are not a nice person."). Also worth noting is Frank's response to being told that obviously he's upset: "I used to get upset when I had a flat tire... when a plane was delayed... when the Yankees won the series..." Still, despite this humor, the film is never as ridiculously unbalanced as "Daredevil" or as disconnected as "Hulk" (both released in 2003). I was also expecting a little more violence, but all in all I was satisfied with what I got.

So far this is probably the best of the non-X-Men/Spider-Man Marvel movies. Of course, studios have a tendency to NOT give the lesser known characters a suitable running time to establish who they are because they ARE lesser known and try to compensate by making them fast paced. Once studios learn not to do this, better superhero films will become more common.

A great movie for its genre

[AntiDot · 7/10 · 13 October 2004]

I went to see this movie solely because Thomas Jane is in it, who is my latest celeb crush after seeing Stander. I don't read comics, and therefore knows nothing of the comicbook hero, The Punisher/Frank Castle. I didn't expect much, same as I wouldn't (and didn't) of movies like Batman, Catwoman, or The Hulk.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I was actually impressed! (Not easy to do) The dramatic and violent story was amazingly well balanced with the comedy and one-liners. The violence was not half as bad as I expected (although the one with the guillotine and the one with the knife through the chin at the end a bit unsettling...) And I appreciated being spared explicit lovescenes or a corny romance between Frank and Joan. Even the swearing was piped down considerably.

Of course, this is not Oscar material, but the acting was satisfying, and the story not bad at all. One to enjoy...

Violent movie upon a bloody vengeance

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 30 June 2005]

The film talks on a police agent G man(Thomas Jane)called Frank Castle whose family(wife Samantha Morton and dad Roy Scheider) was wiped out by a mobsters (John Travolta,wife Laura Harring and son Ben Foster, besides Will Patton) retaliates,thus he executes an incredible revenge originating a bodycount about numerous baddies.He's helped by a freaks group (Rebeca Romijin Stamos and others). The final confrontation amongst the starring and the enemies is breathtaking and groundbreaking .

In the picture there are thriller,frenetic action ,drama suspense, emotion and a little bit of blood and gore. Runtime film is adjusted about two hours and isn't bored because is fast moving but happen amount events and for that is entertained and funny. The motion picture has a certain resemblance with Charles Bronson films of the series ¨Death Wish¨for the matter, the avenging, thus one personage ,¨the vigilante¨ makes of judge,jury and executioner. The yarn is an adaptation from a Marvel Comics character created by Gary Conway.Previously was realized the first version with Dolph Lundgren and Lois Gossett JR that was a flop and attained lukewarm reception by the public . However this rendition has obtained many success in the box office in spite of the violence is extreme and some scenes are crude and cruel. The interpretation of the principal actors are nice but the secondary cast with the quirky bunch are magnificent. Cinematography by Conrad W.Hall(Son of the mythic photographer Conrad L.Hall)is excellent. The pic is well directed by Jonathan Hensleigh. Rating: Above average. Well catching

Surprised This Never Got A Sequel

[slightlymad22 · 7/10 · 29 October 2014]

Plot In A Paragraph: Retired under cover agent Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) goes on a murderous rampage after his family are all killed on the orders of a money launderer (John Travolta) in revenge for his son dying during his last case.

I liked this movie quite a lot, it has some very funny dark humour and a great score.

I quite like Thomas Jane as an actor, and think it's a shame what happened to him over the Stallone movie "Bullet To The Head" as I think he would have made the movie better. He does a superb job of all of Frank Castle's various emotions. He deserved to be getting he bigger and better roles than he is. Will Patton does OK as Travolta's right hand man and best friend. For his brief time on screen, Roy Scheider brings style and panache to the overblown violent proceedings early on.

But I thought Travolta was at his hammiest. Definitely not one of his finest moments.

I'm surprised this never got a sequel.

Old-school

[Flagrant-Baronessa · 7/10 · 30 October 2006]

Producers and distributors alike can try to market this as a superhero movie all they want but the fact is that at the end of the day The Punisher is an action movie – no more, no less. That is not to say it is a bad achievement, for the end product is fun, exhilarating and stylish. I do however feel it is extremely important to debunk the 'comic book' label since it is both unjustly applied and it will perhaps generate false expectations from the mainstream audience.

Although The Punisher is adapted from Marvel Comics, the R-rating alone should be blunt indicator of the path it intends to take. Half an hour into the film it still leaves us clueless and oblivious to the dark turn it will twist into. During which Thomas Jane undergoes an apt transformation of character from heartfelt family man on that one last undercover op to a hard-boiled, brooding vigilante who downs whiskey, swears, tortures and broods. The catalyst for this development is the brutal murder of his family and now he's out to get the hierarchy of villains (headed by John Travolta) – only he isn't just out for vengeance or justice – he's out to punish. In a corrupt city of thugs, Frank Castle becomes the judge, jury and executor.

What is so refreshing about Thomas Jane in the part of Punisher is that he is a sprawling surge of old school with a splash of Clint Eastwood protagonist – the detached, effortless action hero who is too cool for romantic interests, with hardcore one-liners and a merciless approach to duels. In this way, he is easily one of the most successful 'superhero' actors of the new millennium. But alas, Jane went unnoticed and Punisher did poorly at the box office probably BECAUSE it adopted this off-beat, old-school style to acting and action.

I also want to comment on said action, which was spectacular. Truth to be told, I have been waiting a long time to say that about a film. Usually it's the obligatory "the visuals are stunning" or "it's extremely fast-paced and kinetic" but here the sheer hand-to-hand combat is the film's goldmine because it moves back into close character mode instead of the epic scenarios that Batman, Superman and Spiderman dish out to keep out interest. It's gloriously gritty, graphic and dirty which unfortunately also begs the question of where the $33,000,000 budget went. Did they spend it all on late night taco runs?

For that matter, The Punisher is far from devoid of faults. Its fatal flaw stems, in part, from what made it a good film in the first place: its sparseness of effects, general minimalism and lack of superhero formula. Rather it is a model-kit assembled from seedy old-school revenge action movies, the type you'd sort of casually catch a bit of on TV one night.

7 out of 10

A Pleasant Surprise

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 4 November 2005]

I was surprised how good this movie was, not stupid as I figured. It's another one of those based-on-a-comic book hero films that seem to be popular nowadays (Hellboy, Batman, Sin City, Spiderman, Superman, etc.)

However, this was the not the cartoon-like film I expected. It was more of a pretty brutal revenge-crime movie. It's a rough movie, pure and simple.

Believable? Of course not. Some of the action is ludicrous but the most ridiculous of all - the fight against the huge Russian, is actually the most fun of the action scenes. The rest is just plain mean as the hero's entire family gets wiped out by gunman and "The Punisher" (Thomas Jane) goes after them after almost being killed himself.

A smart aspect of this film was inserting a bit of humor in it, such as the two nerds down the hallway who befriend "The Punisher."

The sometimes-juvenile but interesting action scenes, the diverse characters in here and the humor all combine to make this better than anticipated.

No, it's anything but a thinking man's movie, but it IS entertaining and harmless if you look at everything tongue-in-cheek.

A really solid reboot. The Punisher finally debuts on the big screen.

[b_kite · 7/10 · 26 July 2022]

Not sure if I've ever watched this all the way through. At over two hours long it takes its time laying its story out, but still manages to be a pretty breezy watch. Thomas Jane as our title character is pretty great, as is the whole scene with Kevin Nash as The Russian. On the other hand, Travolta plays an odd bad guy as he's never really "bad" other than in one scene, and I'm not sure why cops don't seem to exist in this after the opening sequence. However, there's some nice influences from The Crow series, and if you didn't realize it was 2004 than that post-grunge soundtrack is here to remind you.

This is one of the worst comic book movies out there

[sharkydx · 1/10 · 26 July 2006]

Holy crap. Who are these people who think this is a good movie? I've read several of the user reviews, and the best thing they've got to say about this movie is that it's rated R and it has some humor.

THIS IS THE PUNISHER. If anyone has ever read the comics, or has any kind of familiarity with the punisher, they would know he isn't supposed to have any humor. He is a dark, violent, anti-heroic vigilante. Yet, this crap movie shows him smacking people with frying pans, and his big fight was almost cartoonish. After he got hit, I almost expected him to hold up a sign that said "ouch".

John Travolta plays his way over-the-top villain as he has for his past few movies.

This is one of the reasons people don't make more comic book movies, cuz this is crap, right along with Daredevil, Elektra, and the Hulk.

If you want to see what the Punisher movie should've been like, watch Man on Fire. No humor, no frying pans, just pure violent vengeance. And yes, it too, is rated R.

Underrated

[perica-43151 · 9/10 · 13 September 2020]

This is a cool movie based on a comic book, but with a lot of interesting details added making it a cult favorite. Panned by ideologically possessed critics due to its endorsement of vigilante justice, this movie has such cool original details like country music guitar assassin, Russian cartoon-like strongman, a bit dim north of the eyebrows, and some wooden acting by JohnTra volta. Criminally underrated, so I am giving extra points for that.

Flawed, but underrated.

[drawlife · 7/10 · 22 November 2014]

It's very fun.

What makes this film work is Thomas Jane's performance as Frank Castle. He nails this role like the way Robert Downey Jr. or Hugh Jackman nail their performances as Iron Man and Wolverine. He's that good and that fun to watch on screen.

Frank Castle aka The Punisher is one of my favorite Marvel characters, director and writer Jonathan Hensleigh does a good job bringing the character to life. Combine that with Thomas Jane's performance, it's pure gold. The characterization and performance of Frank Castle is the film's bright spot. Action sequences and the kills are fun to watch. Hensleigh pays tribute to many action films from the 70's and 80's, one particular is the scene where Frank's wife and child are dead pays homage to Mad Max.

The film does a great job building up Frank Castle's arc. Here is where Johnathan Hensleigh poured his heart and soul into. Everything to do with Frank Castle is all pure gold, however the same cannot be said for the villain. John Travolta does a pretty good job being a merciless business man Howard Saint, and he is obviously has fun with the role. Even so it's very cliché and very two-dimensional despite some good moments.

The supporting cast is good, some have more prominent roles than others. This is a very grim film, but it also adds some layers of levity to ease some tension as it provides some decent humor coming from Ben Foster and John Pinette who portray his neighbors Dave and Bumpo. Eddie Jemison who at first is a lackey for the Saint's becomes his inside man and provides some good wisecracks. Rebecca Romijn portrays Joan, a neighbor and potential love interest, but her character isn't very expanded and is just sort of there. Will Patton is Howard Saint's right hand man and he also delivers a good performance as he gets all the dirty work done for him, but he isn't very fleshed out either.

Although The Punisher's plan is set up brilliantly, I found that it took forever to get it going, I understood what was happening, but I felt as if he could have moved forward with the plan at a more faster and accelerated rate. It only slows the film down in some parts. But make no mistake, when his revenge or so called "punishment" plan is fulfilled, as an audience member you will be pretty darn satisfied.

The Punisher is good film, and out of the three attempts that were brought to the screen, this one is the clear champion. It's not perfect, but it's fun and provides many tense and cringe- worthy moments and plenty of violence. In the end it's Thomas Jane's performance alone that makes this film work.

7.5/10

A tremendous disservice to over 30 years of history.

[josephtheowl · 1/10 · 29 January 2007]

I remember at the advance screening of this, I heard one guy say "It makes Hellboy look like Titanic." What the movie did was make the Punisher character much more palatable for American audiences. By making the Punisher two-dimensional and less controversial, they took away the emotional pain and helplessness readers of the comic book sympathized with when the cruelty of life corrupts a good man.

In the comics, Castle comes back from a grueling tour in Vietnam and wants to spend the rest of his life with his wife and 2 children in peace. But while they're enjoying a Sunday picnic in the park, they witness a Mafia hit and are subsequently murdered, only Frank (barely) survives. He's a victim and survivor of senseless violence, and when Frank becomes the Punisher, it isn't to "punish" the bad guys. He believes that society has gone insane, and his only purpose left in life is to force it to make sense. He's a vigilante and anti-hero, not because he kills or uses guns, but because he couldn't care less about law and order. Which even in real life, have failed countless people.

The part of the movie that really took a step into absurdity was when the Saint family's hit men killed his family. His ENTIRE family. I almost busted a gut laughing when one guy tried to escape a hail of gunfire by boarding a dingy. It's like if Batman had his mom, dad, third cousin Scooter, crazy uncle Joe and goldfish Goldy killed. It cheapens the effect of losing the few closest people to you when they show all these other obscure people dropping like flies. I also laughed when Castle's mom got shot in the leg because Thomas Jane's reaction was so unnatural. But by this point the movie was irredeemable anyway.

GREAT MOVIE! vigilante-style justice done right

[assman200 · 4 March 2006]

"The Punisher" is a shining example of revenge and vigilante-style justice done right. It's also yet another comic book adaptation done properly. I thought this movie was one of the best I have seen in a long time. In the compendium of comic movies, this falls just shy of the two X-Men movies and Spider-Man but easily surpasses Batman, Batman Begins, Superman and The Hulk. The fact that it is an R-rated movie will kill 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, as he was outstanding and has the potential to be a contender to Ben Affleck, Hugh Jackman, Colin Farrell, and Matt Damon as the next big action star. If you like action movies, check out this movie. If you like comic book adaptations, check out this movie. Heck, if you just like movies in general, The Punisher is two hours well-spent. Like Thomas Jane himself says, "Frank Castle is dead. Long live The Punisher."

An ace up your sleeve for 6 degrees of Kevin B!

[NestorTheGreat · 7/10 · 17 June 2022]

The connections you could make from this who's who of an action extravaganza is limitless...except for the title role's Thomas Jane! You've got Travolta, X-Men's original Mystique (Romijn-Stamos), and The Last Stand's Angel (Ben Foster), Jaws' own Roy Scheider, Will 'Armageddon' Patton, and some cameos that'll win you every turn! And then there's the Marvel story without a single superhero in it!

Revenge never looked so satisfying than when it's done to avenge your wife and son's murder. Now imagine revenging your whole extended family, and Punisher makes more sense!

Left for dead, Frank Castle picks off his family's assailants one by one, and even tricks them to kill each other! Sweet, sweaty, brutal deaths in the hands of an ex-undercover cop with unlimited supply of weapons- very John Wickean! Not your ordinary Marvel story, but a darker, vengeful take on justice, like Batman but without the cowl!

Brutal action flick.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 13 May 2006]

This is a very straight forward action flick with lots of violence and tough characters. Fans of the action genre will most definitely not be disappointed by this movie.

From the start on, you know that this movie is a violent one that doesn't hold back. After we've seen the entire family of Frank Castle being killed (and I mean every single last family member, both young and old) you know that this movie is going to be different from most other action movies. It's a movie that is very straight forward and doesn't hold back but at the very same time it doesn't try to force, or go too much over-the-top. I think this is most probably thanks to the directing skills of Jonathan Hensleigh and the talented cast that was involved with this movie that makes it a very enjoyable, cool and still somewhat credible, summer-action-flick.

The story is basically very simple and is set around one very simple good old fashioned concept; vengeance, or maybe even better said; punishment. It's not really a sort of action movie that needs much story. The characters, both the main 'hero' and the main villain are interesting enough to carry the entire movie and make it a very pleasant one to watch. Even though the main 'hero' is pretty dark and brutal himself, you still root for him because you understand him.

Thomas Jane is pretty good as the leading man and he proves that he is a great and perhaps somewhat underrated action movie star. It's always a pleasure to see John Travolta in a villainous role and he certainly also does not disappoint in this movie. Same goes for Will Patton, who also was really great in this movie (he's beginning to look old and fat now by the way.). Roy Scheider also shows up in a small role, or better said cameo as Frank Castle Sr. Kevin Nash plays a pretty cool role as a Russian hit-man. The fight sequence between him and the main character was one of the highlights of the movie to me.

But seriously, were all those sequence's with the Punisher's neighbors really necessary? I understand that they were put in the movie to still give the main character an humane and more soft side but the sequences just didn't worked out good enough and perhaps only were distracting from the main plot line. The sequences also are really a waste of Rebecca Romijn's qualities. She doesn't get to do anything good or interesting in the movie. Why did she even agreed to be in this?

It's nothing too memorable all and the action and story themselves are nothing more than average but it's the straight-forwardness of the movie that makes me regard this one as an above average one, that has more to offer than the average, simple action flick. The style of the movie also ain't bad and hopefully we'll hear more from director Jonathan Hensleigh (who already is a successful writer of many well known action movies) in the future.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

an enjoyable action adventure crime drama

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 30 December 2006]

I really enjoyed the Punisher.I thought Tom Jane was convincing in the title role.John Travolta was a bit weak as the main villain,i'll admit.the movie is ultra violent to be sure,with no end to the action.lots of things blow up.Rebecca Romijn played the(sort of) love interest and did a good job with her character.there are are a few other known actors in the mix,who are all competent in their roles.Country singer Mark Collie is terrific in a small role as a hit-man.The basic premise is that Nick Castle, FBI agent, played by Tom Jane is undercover and the operation goes horribly wrong,leading to the death of Bobby Saint, son of corrupt businessman Howard Saint, played by John Travolta.as retaliation for the death,Castle's family is brutally murdered ,leading to the genesis of the Punisher/AKA Nick Castle.the movie won't win any awards but as pure entertainment,it works. 7* out of 10

The Punisher A Decent Comic Book Movie

[tburke85 · 7/10 · 12 June 2009]

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.

Punisher too dark?

[VelvetRevolver2 · 10/10 · 4 January 2005]

Someone said that this movie was too dark for the genre...He must not have ever read any of the source material. The Punisher may be one of the darkest comic book characters ever created. This film and especially Thomas Jane, get that. This film is one of the better in the genre, because it sticks to the source better than most.

Yes, I am a fanboy. But I am a fan of action movies too. This movie took from some of the classics but made it their own. Its too bad that spiderman or superman fans cant see past the all superheros must be good guys...The Punisher is a different type of hero. The kind you wish we would never need, but also one that you may want.

Vengeance, Revenger & Plenty of Torture

[whpratt1 · 7/10 · 14 January 2007]

John Travolta, (Howard Saint) played an entirely different role than I have ever seen him portray. He plays the role of a real underworld mob boss who loses his son and is bound and determined to find out just who is responsible for his loss. The guy he is looking for is Frank Castle/The Punisher (Thomas Jane), Frank Castle was an FBI agent and had a very sweet and loving wife and also a young son who he rarely was able to spend time with because of his many assignments all over the globe. Frank decides he is going to retire and has a big party for a family reunion. It is from this point on in the film when things start to get real interesting and the film escalates into one big action filled film with all kinds of cruel hatred and murder after murder and beatings you will not be able to believe. This film had me glued to the TV Screen from beginning to the very end. If you have not seen this film, by all means get to see it soon.

Punisher Is Just Plain Awfulk

[Darkknight575 · 1/10 · 1 August 2007]

I'm not really sure what fan boy in his right mind could like this movie. It's completely ridiculous. Nothing makes any sense. One of the worst movies ever written and made. Being a huge fan of the Punisher I was completely appalled as to how bad they made it. It's one of the only movies I've ever walked out of. And I wasn't alone. Half the audience left with me. And being a fan of action films makes it even worse. This is a terrible action movie too. What an embarrassment.

1. They don't explain how an officer like Frank Castle could be found so easily by a criminal like Howard Saint so easily. It would have been a great way to show how powerful this guy is. Instead we're asked to just believe he is.

2. Why does Frank Castle have to retire from his job? A pension at his age wouldn't pay for anything. He'd still have to find another job.

3. Which brings us to the next and more important question. Why deviate from the Punisher's actual origin from the comic book? Instead of killing his wife and child we have to kill his whole family. A bunch of people we don't get to know or feel for at all. It takes away from the power and emotion of the actual act. And the senselessness of the killing in the book is extremely powerful.

4. When Frank's wife and kid are about to be run over and killed how in the world does Frank even know where they are? We never see him watch them escape or anything. Just all of sudden he takes off, which the way it was filmed seems like it's far away since you have to drive, and he shows up too late. Is the Punisher psychic or something now? 5. The way everyone thinks Frank Castle is dead is pretty absurd. Seriously? And then he's found by some other guy that actually has to say he's his friend so we know who he is. Then months later he looks like a hermit and decides to go after the people who killed his family. When do we get to see his pain? His suffering? I could go on and on here. There's just too much to list. This movie should be burned and destroyed for all time.

The Punisher vs the Russian fight was pretty cool though. Right from the book. That was the only positive.

Classic Film making

[Doffer · 8/10 · 23 February 2005]

Wonderful Camera work and acting.

There are no flashy CGI effects in this movie or fictional superpowers. It relies more on traditional technique's and delivers beautifully.

The director has done a superb job with the severely underfunded budget taking us to a realistic location that serves two purposes cheaper production costs and somewhere original that looks and feels real. After all that is what the punisher movie is about, making a comic book character fit into the real world with realistic situations.

This guy could be anyone out there with a vendetta up against believable enemies. There are no superpowers on show here just a guy with a vendetta up against a powerful man that wants him killed who can afford to hire realistic killers with personality I might add, to do the job

This goes down as one of my favorite films of all time mainly because of the beautiful camera work and realistic gritty style action. I'll be definitely keeping an eye out for this director's work in the future.

Very good...

[Thanos_Alfie · 7/10 · 13 January 2022]

"The Punisher" is a Crime - Drama movie in which we watch an undercover FBI agent seeking revenge after losing his entire family. He tries to find who is responsible for this massacre in order to take his revenge.

I enjoyed this movie very much because it had a simple but nice plot that contained plenty of action, violence and much of suspense. It was also dark, something that fitted to the concept of the movie, revenge. The direction which was made by Jonathan Hensleigh was very good and he did an excellent job on the way that he presented his main character along with his whole story. In addition to this, the interpretation of Thomas Jane who played as Frank Castle was simply amazing and he made the difference. All in all, I have to say that "The Punisher" is an interesting movie and I recommend you to watch it.

Where is Dolph Lundgren when you need him?

[jayce2279 · 1/10 · 14 November 2005]

If Batman Begins is the perfect adaptation from comic book character to big screen hero, The Punisher is the perfect example of how to destroy a great comic book character. The first thirty minutes are boring and unoriginal. Whereas Christopher Nolan made good use of the first half of Batman Begins to present a credible transition from rich man's son to Dark Knight, Jonathan Hensleigh bores viewers to death by picturing Frank Castle as the perfect American family man who then loses his beautiful wife and perfect son in a cheap Mad Max rip off. In contrast, the 1989 low budget but far superior version started off smack in the middle of the action with a seriously disturbed ex cop already on the rampage and the reason for his decline into madness was gradually explained by means of flashbacks and memories form Louis Gousset Jr trying to bring his old friend back into a sane life. But whereas the comic book Punisher, brought to life by similarly huge 6' 6" Dolph Lundgren in the first movie, becomes a bitter, meaner than hell, cold blooded killer without compassion, the 05 Frank Castle turns into your friendly neighborhood watchman who uses an ice cream cone to "torture" his first victim. Batman Begins also has its share of humor, but it is subtle and not out of place. The bad guys don't fare much better. Whereas Jeroen Krabbe also had his share of trouble with the Yakuza in the 80s version, at least he was a serious gangster not to be taken lightly. John Travolta is a looser who can't stand his own against other mobsters and is being pushed around by his wife. Message to all Punisher fans: go rent the 1989 version or just stick to the written word, but don't spent any money on this monstrosity which shows no respect whatsoever to a great comic book series.