The Punisher (2004)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Jonathan Hensleigh

Writers (WGA):

Jonathan Hensleigh (written by) and
Michael France (written by)

Release Date:

16 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

This Is Not Revenge. It's Punishment!

Plot:

After his wife and family are killed, G-Man Frank Castle takes it upon himself to distribute punishment to those responsible for the vendetta.

Plot Keywords:

Family Reunion | Undercover | Revenge | Vigilante | FBI

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

A. Russell Andrews	...	Jimmy Weeks (as Russell Andrews)
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 (as Michael Francis)
Laura Harring	...	Livia Saint
William Haze	...	EMT (as William Hasenzahl)
Thomas Jane	...	Frank Castle (as Tom Jane)
Eddie Jemison	...	Mickey Duka
Marco St. John	...	Police Chief Morris
Marcus Johns	...	Will Castle

Also Known As:

The Punisher (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive brutal violence, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

124 min | 140 min (extended cut)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | Iceland:16 | USA:Unrated (extended version) | South Korea:18 | Hungary:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) (uncut version) | Germany:18 (cut) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:M18 (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

Pro Wrestler Kevin Nash had to cut his hair for his role. To explain the haircut to his wrestling fans, he "bet" his hair in a match against wrestler Chris Jericho.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the chase scene, the red Ford pickup chasing Castle's wife and son continually changes from standard to automatic.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bobby Saint: So I'm gonna get a three-to-one return on my money?
Micky Duka: Otto is the real deal. I met him at a hash bar in Amsterdam. He speaks Russian, German, Arabic...

Movie Connections:

References Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)

Soundtrack:

Miami Nights

Thomas Jane is excellent as "The Punisher"!!!!

I gave this 10 stars. I really enjoyed this picture.

The first 10 or 15 minutes of it were confusing to me, but I hung in there, and then it lined out nicely - with John Travolta as smooth gangster Howard Saint, and Thomas Jane as an absolutely perfect dark hero - Frank Castle - The Punisher! I had never heard of Thomas Jane before, but he was very good in this role. He is a nice height, not bad looking, exceptionally well built, dark hair, wears black a lot, including a long black coat, and obviously works out at the gym. There are quite a few scenes where he is shirtless and so the viewer gets to admire his excellent physique.

In addition to him having the right look for the role and the right costuming and great props (those guns and that futuristic crossbow were thrilling), he also has just the right demeanor as emotionally hurt, but tough, Frank Castle.

This film concerns revenge and vigilantism, with lots of shooting, rough fighting scenes, and tremendous explosions. It also has well developed characters with motivation for their actions and behavior, and good dialog.

Definitely way above average action thriller.