... 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 ... Read review
The impressively muscular chest of Tom Jane is the focal point ofThe 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 S...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The impressively muscular chest of Tom Jane is the focal point ofThe 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 S...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
The impressively muscular chest of Tom Jane is the focal point ofThe 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 S...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Special agent Frank Castle (Tom Jane) lives the good life with a devoted family and a job ... more
he loves. But his world falls apart when his last assignment pits him against ruthless businessman Howard Saint (John Travolta). Seeking the revenge of his murder...
The impressively muscular chest of Tom Jane is the focal point ofThe 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 S...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
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 ... more
Frank 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 family, his wife and his only son before putting a bullet in Castle's head. Castle, however, is not dead. Whilst his heart may be broken and his soul crushed, his body 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 a film version of Frank Castle's misadventures. In 1989 an extremely poor version of The Punisher was released, with Dolph Lundgren in the lead. Say no more. The film bombed terribly and nobody ever really took an interest in the Frank Castle story. I always thought this was a shame. Frank Castle is a great character and I was genuinely intrigued when I heard that Jonathan Hemsleigh was going to try to resurrect Frank from the dead.
The trouble is, this was always going to be a difficult film to make. The Punisher is an unusual comic-book character. He was first introduced in the Spiderman comics of the 1970s, and was essentially considered simply to be another villain. As soon as he had appeared however, his popularity soared and he eventually went on to have his own comic-book series - or three. What makes his character so difficult is that he isn't a good guy. At best he is a vigilante, exacting vengeance on the criminal low lives that he associates with the death of his family. At worst, he is a psychopath, taking out anyone and everyone who gets in his way, without sparing a thought for any of them. This makes him hard work. Nobody likes a film where the lead character is a bad guy. So the creators had to try and make him a bit of a good guy.
This for me is where The Punisher falls down. Frank Castle is a wholesome, loving family man (no problem there) whose entire life is shattered by a terrible, murderous act. In the comics, this essentially pushes him over the edge, and he leads a solitary life, trusting nobody apart from himself and shooting first, thinking second. In the film, a sub-plot is introduced showing Castle living in an apartment block, where he befriends a group of nerds suffering from one form of bullying or another. Castle becomes their hero, shooting violent, unwanted boyfriends and in turn, receiving their help when the bad guys come looking for him. It's all a bit unlikely, a bit sugary sweet and not exactly in keeping with the comic book traditions. I can see why the film makers did it. They wanted a character with whom the audience would empathise, but fans of the dark violence of the comics will feel betrayed at the portrayal of the new-look Punisher. Don't get me wrong - Castle certainly isn't happy-go-lucky but I still thought that he needed a hot injection of maniac juice.
That doesn't mean that the film isn't violent - it absolutely is, and the level of violence is surprisingly high for a comic book adaptation. (The 18 certificate is the clue). Strangely enough, however, I didn't really think the film was violent enough. Whilst the Punisher isn't particularly sadistic, he is quite inventive and I was expecting rather more from the film than I actually saw. Rather than considering the film to be ultra-violent, I would describe it as ultra-cruel - this is a story about retribution and the drive towards this from absolute cruelty. The climactic sequences are probably the best, with Castle finally let loose on hordes of underworld henchmen, and clearly loving every minute of it.
Thomas Jane was a bit of a surprise for me in this film. I only really recalled him from Deep Blue Sea where, although buff and bronzed he was also pretty dumb. In The Punisher, he's still buff, but now he's mean and certainly does his best to bring out the menace in Frank Castle. Castle's adversary Howard Saint (geddit?) is crap. There is no other word for it. And so is John Travolta. John Travolta only ever really gets away with being a good guy. I think it's that big dimple in his chin. He's completely out of place here but his screen time is mercifully quite short. Whilst he might be a ruthless adversary, he isn't a strong enough opponent and eventually I couldn't be sure whether it was Saint who was dragged away kicking or screaming or my will to carry on. The Punisher is cool. The Saint is not.
The Punisher is a fairly good movie. It's not something you would queue up to go and see, nor would you probably bother buying it. Rent it one evening when you're feeling particularly pent up and relish the sight of a fellow psychopath stalking around with a rusty guillotine blade. You have been warned. There's a sequel next year, too. Yay!
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 ...
sunmeilan 02.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Punisher (DVD)
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 ...
Angelus 19.07.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Punisher (DVD)
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 ...
Ailran 23.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Punisher (DVD)
Advantages: A good action romp that doesn't let up Disadvantages: Not very cheerful / Quite graphic for the faint-hearted
***(MOVIE REVIEW ONLY)***
The great thing (or is it a bad thing?) about DVD rental schemes (and I can really recommend the Blockbuster one) is that you end up watching films you wouldn't usually watch. You do this because you want to get the most out of your subscription fee each month, so you search the lists and add away quite indiscriminately. In the last few months I've watched a lot of films (I have this great job where I get a week off each ... ...some good, some bad. The Punisher is one of the good ones.
The Punisher is based on the Marvel comic of the same name. I will say straight away that I am not a big comic book reader (I used to love The Beano and the most sophisticated it got was reading The Eagle). I grew up in an era when most of the intelligent kids (I did not say geeks!) read Batman, Swamp thing, 2000AD and other such things. So I have come to the Punisher not knowing much about ...
mongo_bongocat 06.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Punisher (DVD)
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Advantages: Action-packed, entertaining, good fight choreography and special-effects. Disadvantages: A bit too much blood and gore... extremely violent.
Director: Lexi Alexander
Writers: Nick Santora & Art Marcum
Genre: Drama ? Action ? Crime ? Thriller
Country: USA/Caada/Germany
Certification: 18
Language: English
DVD Release: 25th May, 2009 [UK]
MAIN CAST:
Ray Stevenson [Frank Castle - The Punisher]
Dominic West [Billy Russoti - Jigsaw]
Doug Hutchison [Loony Bin Jim]
Colin Salmon [Paul Budiansky]
Julie Benz [Angela]
In the sequel to ?The Punisher?, Frank Castle, who went from FBI agent to vigilante in the first movie after his wife and children were killed by the mob, is into his sixth year as a vigilante with an extensive rap sheet against him for putting the mob on the ?endangered species? list.
The police and FBI have mixed feelings about Castle/The Punisher, some considering him a hero, others considering him a murderer? mostly, the police are glad ...
Advantages: Very funny Disadvantages: There are slightly better episodes
This DVD has episodes of The Simpsons with one theme: Breaking the law. The episodes included are "Marge In Chains", "You Only Move Twice", "Bart The Fink" and "Homer The Vigilante", all classics in their own right.
"Marge In Chains" has Marge running errands for everyone on account of a flu epidemic. She forgets she has some bourbon in her pocket as she leaves the Kwik-E-Mart, Apu notices however and Marge ends up spending 30 days in prison, during which the town breaks apart and everyone is glad to have her back. Good episode if only for seeing Bart in a blonde wig and a cocktail dress trying to seduce the prison warden.
"You Only Move Twice" has Globex Corporation trying to recruit Smithers, but he says no, so they go to the next senior man at the plant, Homer. However, Homer doesn't realize that his boss, Hank Scorpio is ...
Advantages: It's aware of its own silliness. Disadvantages: Wooden acting, dire scripting and very little story.
Ruthless vigilante Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher, sets his sights on an out-of-control mob boss called Billy Russoti. When ?Beautiful Bill? is left disfigured by Castle, he is hell-bent on revenge in his new guise; Jigsaw. But in his attempts to bring a mob gang to justice, Castle inadvertently kills an innocent man. Wracked with guilt, he tries to help the dead man?s family, but brings them to the attention of Russoti and his thugs. Castle has to destroy him and his army if they are to have any chance of survival. But with the ?Punisher Task Force? on his tail and the FBI unable to help him, he has to go it alone?
I laughed my way right through the Thomas Jane ?Punisher? movie a few years ago, not because it was intentionally funny but because it was a ridiculous action movie that took itself way too seriously. So when my ...
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
DVD
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
English, Hindi, Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Hindi
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Dubbed Language
French
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
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.
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