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 | 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:

Undercover | Family Reunion | Revenge | Vigilante | FBI

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Thomas Jane	...	Frank Castle / The Punisher (as Tom Jane)
John Travolta	...	Howard Saint
Will Patton	...	Quentin Glass
Eddie Jemison	...	Mickey Duka
Rebecca Romijn	...	Joan (as Rebecca Romijn-Stamos)
Ben Foster	...	Dave
John Pinette	...	Bumbo
Laura Harring	...	Livia Saint
James Carpinello	...	Bobby Saint
Marco St. John	...	Chief Morris
Samantha Mathis	...	Maria Castle
Marcus Johns	...	Will Castle
Bonnie Johnson	...	Betty Castle
Roy Scheider	...	Frank Castle Sr.
Veryl Jones	...	Candelaria

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:

The Saints and Sinners Club shootout between Frank Castle and Howard Saint's goons was originally longer, but was cut because of pacing and explicit bloodshed. The only two scenes that were altered because of violence were: 1: The point-blank head shot featured blood squirting from the back of a thug's head. 2: The scene in which a thug is dispatched by way of sawed-off shotgun was also cut. The original scene feature pieces of the thug being sprayed from his wounds.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At the final shoot-out scene at the Saints and Sinners club, when Frank reloads his Colt .45 half way through the capacity, he drops out the mag and sticks in a new one. Then he pulls the slide back and you see a shell fly out. Frank is police and military trained on how to reload weapons and he should know that reloading mid-clip means there would still be a round in the chamber.

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:

Summertime

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.