Production Year: 2004 - Action/Adventure - Director: Jonathan Hensleigh - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:John Travolta, Thomas Jane, Samantha Mathis, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
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)... more
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The Punisher [2004]
The impressively muscular chest of Tom Jane is the focal point of The Punisher, a movie
... more
based on a Marvel Comics superhero. Frank Castle (Jane, Deep Blue Sea) retires from the FBI, which means--as any moviegoer expects--that his family is toast. Howard...
The Punisher [2004]
The impressively muscular chest of Tom Jane is the focal point of The Punisher, a movie
... more
based on a Marvel Comics superhero. Frank Castle (Jane, Deep Blue Sea) retires from the FBI, which means--as any moviegoer expects--that his family is toast. Howard...
Advantages: Thomas Jane is a good Punisher Disadvantages: John Travolta is cack, cack, cacketty cack
...Castle is on top of the world. Highly respected at work (he is one of the force's most decorated undercover officers) and adored at home by his wife and son, he decides to retire from the force and enjoy a quieter life with the family. But in his professional life, Castle made enemies. Lots of them. And now one of those enemies decides to avenge the loss of his own son by exacting a terrible act of retribution upon Castle, killing his entire extended ... ...manages to recover. And so The Punisher is born - and the underworld had better watch out.
As the onslaught of comic book to movie adaptations continues, some directors are attempting to try and break away from the mainstream. Whilst Spiderman, Hulk and The Fantastic Four may be filling cinemas all over the world, they lack the dark edge that many comic fans crave to see re-created in film. This isn't the first time that somebody has tried to create ...
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Advantages: Entertaining Disadvantages: Strange mixture of drama and comedy
...Castle has just retired from the FBI after an illustrious career and is looking forward to spending some quality time with his family. Unfortunately, in his last case, he was responsible for killing the son of a corrupt businessman called Howard Saint, who then seeks revenge on Castle and his family by killing every single last one of them. Frank somehow manages to survive and, once recovered, decides to exact his own revenge on Saint and his family. ... ...did a reasonalbe job in the role. Based on a Marvel comic character, Castle is not really terribly believable - although he isn't imbued with super-hero characteristics, he does manage to live through violence that would have finished most people off, then get up, dust himself off, and start again. However, bearing that in mind, I thought Jane worked well within the confines of the role. He certainly looked the part - all rippling muscle and brooding ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Good story, lots of action, some humour, fittingly dark atmosphere Disadvantages: Can be too dark and violent for some people
After seeing the Lindsay Lohan flick Mean Girls, I was in the mood for something different, so I went to my local movie theatre (only two bus rides away). I was planning to see Van Helsing but I decided instead to see The Punisher, which has been in theatres for a few weeks already. I had low expectations for the movie because of bad critical reviews, but I just thought the movie looked good, and I thought right. The Punisher is based on the Marvel ... ...other critics have pointed out, The Punisher has an anti-hero rather than a hero. The viewer is asked to identify with a man who brutally punishes people, and as you can imagine, the film is pretty bleak and depressing. The film begins with a group of guys getting busted by the cops during a weapons deal. Two men are shot and apparently killed, but it turns out that one of the men is actually alive. He is Frank Castle (Thomas Jane), an undercover ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Great Performances from Travolta and Jane Disadvantages: A little bit forced at times
Ever since X-Men banked at the box office you may have noticed a huge resurgence in movies based on comic-book, heck just to name a few from my own personal DVD collection: Elektra, Daredevil, Bullet-proof Monk, Ghost World, Hell-Boy and of course since I'm writing about it: The Punisher. Being the comic book fan-boy that I am naturally I'd read at least a couple of editions of 'The Punisher' and whilst I thought it was good - it wasn't the sort ... ...happen, wasn't it?
* The Storyline *
Meet Frank Castle: a softly spoken FBI agent who's recently decided to hang up his gun and badge and just relax with a bit of quiet time for his family and friends, on his last assignment he'd ended up in a bit of a show-down with a few criminals, one of them turned out to be the baby boy of local crime boss Howard Saint, as expected Saint isn't happy (well which crime-boss who's just had his son killed by a ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: A fun Friday night action movie Disadvantages: characterisation of main leads, plot
The new Punisher entry into the ranks of comic book movies is one that does not disappoint, mainly due to lack of hype, diminished expectations and that it is more a mainstream revenge thriller than a comic book fantasy extravaganza. The Punisher is exactly the same as every action based revenge thriller ever made, in fact the plot is almost identical to Vin Diesel's disastrous 'A Man Apart' - cop screws over big gang with operation, gang kills family ... ...get revenge! (And that is the whole plot really)
What then would be the question sets The Punisher apart? The main difference between this and every early Arnie, Sly and their successors entries into the violent action genre is the investment put into the minor supporting characters.
Frank (The Punisher) Castle's neighbours Bumpo, Dave and Joan are the human side of the film, the non-mainstream, offbeat side of humanity that turn out to be the ...
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Actor(s): John Travolta, Thomas Jane, Samantha Mathis, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
Director(s): Jonathan Hensleigh
Genre: Action & Adventure
Classification: 18 years and over
Production Year: 2004
Running Time: 2 hours 3 minutes
Franchise Name: Marvel Comics
Video Category: Feature Film
Country Of Origin: United States of America
Plot: When his wife and children are killed after witnessing a mafia hit, Frank Castle dedicates his life to the eradication of crime in America; he becomes the Punisher.
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date: 24/01/2005
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: CDR 36519
Barcode: 5035822651937
Screenwriter: Jonathan Hensleigh, Gale Anne Hurd, Michael France
Executive Producer: Jonathan Hensleigh, Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd, Avi Arad
Author: Michael France
Languages
Main Language: English
Subtitle Language: English, Hindi, Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Hindi
Hearing Impaired Language: English
Dubbed Language: French
DVD Description
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.
Technical information
Special Features: Director Commentary, Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary, Keeping It Real Stunts Featurette, War Journal On The Set Of The Punisher The Making Of, Music Video Step Up By Drowning Pool
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 Wide Screen, 1.78 Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX, Stereo
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX English, Stereo English French
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Listed on Ciao since : 27/07/2004
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