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The Punisher
2004
Marvel Comics presents a second big-screen version of THE PUNISHER, with this action-packed adaptation from screenwriter-turned-director Jonathan Hensleigh. Frank Castle (Tom Jane) is a retired F.B.I. agent spurred into action after the merciless slaying of his wife, father, and son. Adopting the superhero guise of The Punisher,.. Read more
| Starring | Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Samantha Mathis, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos |
|---|---|
| Director | Jonathan Hensleigh |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Thriller |
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The Punisher
Marvel Comics presents a second big-screen version of THE PUNISHER, with this action-packed adaptation from screenwriter-turned-director Jonathan Hensleigh. Frank Castle (Tom Jane) is a retired F.B.I. agent spurred into action after the merciless slaying of his wife, father, and son. Adopting the superhero guise of The Punisher, Castle aims to wreak vengeance for his dead family by tracking down the culprits responsible for their demise. All clues point to Howard Saint (John Travolta), a ruthless businessman and nightclub owner whose son was mistakenly killed by Castle in a botched undercover operation back in his F.B.I. days. Unique amongst Marvel superheroes, The Punisher possesses no special powers, just remarkable strength parried with a blind determination to avenge his family. As he hunts down Saint, Castle surrounds himself with three fellow societal outcasts to get the job done, namely Joan (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), Bumpo (John Pinette), and Dave (Ben Foster). Director Hensleigh eschews flashy CGI effects for the bulk of the movie, and instead reverts to old action-movie staples such as thrilling stunt work, gunfights, and huge explosions. The old-fashioned feel suits The Punisher well, providing an apt mirror of the hero's own lack of super powers. Hensleigh winds the film through a thrilling white-knuckle ride to its spectacular conclusion, ultimately providing a highly appropriate movie for one of Marvel's lesser-known comic book heroes.
| Starring | Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Samantha Mathis, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Laura Harring |
|---|---|
| Director | Jonathan Hensleigh |
| Studio | COLUMBIA TRI-STAR HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs Blu-ray: 2 hrs 3 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English, English Audio Description Blu-ray: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English, Hindi Blu-ray: English |
| Released | DVD: 24 Jan 2005 Blu-ray: 09 Feb 2009 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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This faithful take on the Marvel comic of the same name obliterates the 1989 Dolph Lundgren version. The feature debut of Die Hard with a Vengeance's screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh, it's loud, fast and extremely vicious. Deep Blue Sea star Tom (then Thomas) Jane is former FBI special agent Frank Castle, who turns vigilante when his family is gunned down on the orders of Florida Mob boss John Travolta. Dressed literally to kill in the antihero's trademark skull-emblazoned T-shirt, Jane has the cool air of a superhuman rock star as he orchestrates the darkest of retributions. There's no let up in the destruction and violence, nor is there any semblance of reality. The film's every element, from costumes to scenery, seems to be engineered for ultimate ocular effect, while even reliable actors such as Rebecca Romijn-Stamos are eclipsed by Travolta's excessive theatrics. Consequently, although the murder sequences of Castle's wife and son are painfully tragic, there's no real emotion, only visual spectacle, in everything that follows.
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Another in a current wave of vigilante movies Ð a genre that could do with a death wish; this is the second attempt to make a hero of the comicbook avenger and it is no more successful than the first.
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Most helpful member's review
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39 out of 47 people found this review helpful
Violent revenge movie
I bought the American DVD of this film a couple of months ago based on reviews I'd come across, and I was not disappointed with it. It is not a continuous slap bang action movie (like many of Seagal's 'straight to video' efforts), there are long periods of character development couple with short quite violent action scenes, and you end up with the impression that the Punisher himself, while being sympathetic to his plight, is probably quite psychotic and deranged as a result of the murder of his family. John Travolta has an easy pay day in this movie - his character doesn't have to do too much development in this film.
Perhaps one criticism is that the film is too long - you could probably take about 20 minutes out of the film without really affecting the storyline (from the US DVD release anyway). -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Great Stuff!!!
If you thought Superman was too tame and that Spiderman was a gimp, then watch this!!! The Punisher is an adult comic flick. I have never read the comic, but absolutely loved this film. Plenty of gore and action to keep you interested and a cleverly crafted story. Some people have not rated this film too highly, but I think that they were expecting a ?300m blockbuster like Spiderman. If you wanna see Hollywood comic flicks, try Spiderman or Hulk, this is for the ADULTS!!! Travolta rocks!!!
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News and features
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Jane wants to get back to Bollywood
- 01 Sep 2009
The Punisher star Thomas Jane is desperate to return to the Bollywood movie industry in India - because he had a great time filming Padamati Sandhya Ragam there at the start of his career. The actor, who is married to Patricia Arquette, shot the film in 1986 and admits he developed a great love for the sub-continent. He says, "I would love to go back to Bollywood... It was a phenomenal experience. I love the way they make movies there." Jane, who played the object of an Indian girl's... Read more
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