Blamed for the
death of a wealthy and powerful crime lord's son, FBI agent Frank
Castle (Thomas Jane) finds his whole family murdered in a vengeful
massacre. Transforming himself into a skull-emblazoned one-man army,
Castle sets out on a violent quest for retribution, determined to even
the score.
CRITIQUE
First off, put all
the comic book mishmash aside, this is a full blown, 100-percent proof
action hero flick filled with all the action hero clichés including
being able to be as silly and violent as possible. So bear in mind
while watching the film, it’s an action movie made for action buffs.
In fact, this is probably a comparison to The Terminator than
to the current Marvel hits at this point in time. The action scenes
are very cool, from guns to a few car chases to non-stop
“blow-shit-up”, The Punisher will fulfill any action movie junkie’s
inner self.
There are some very
corny parts in the movie, such as the wrestler Kevin Nash playing some
big Russian goon who comes knocking at Frank’s door and beats the crap
out of him. That fight sequence is a combination of silly, corny,
comical, and somewhat cool. I understand that there were some comical
parts thrown in just for kicks, but that kind of ruined the some of
the tone of the movie. The whole serious “must seek revenge” theme
exists, and then we get a roughly five-minute silly fight scene.
Overall, this is a
gritty, violent, somewhat comical but very dark film. Jonathan
Hensleigh’s direction is interesting and well-done, and actor Thomas
Jane plays the hero convincingly. John Travolta's turn as bad guy
works fine. The script has some weak spots, but the story is told
well.
THE VIDEO
Lions Gate presents
The Punisher in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The
transfer is nicely done. Because this is a gritty film, there is some
grain spotted, but overall it’s a very well presented dark-looking
film.
THE AUDIO
Lions Gate presents
The Punisher in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX. At times, the
sound of people being gunned down and sliced up is awfully annoying,
but the bangs and the booms are the main attraction. Dialogue is
presented clearly and is easy to understand. Music blasts from the
speakers in loud fashion.
THE EXTRAS
*Commentary by
director John Hensleigh
*Two deleted scenes
*War Journal: On
The Set Of The Punisher
*Keepin’ It Real:
The Punisher Stunts
*Army Of One:
Punisher Origins
*Drawing Blood:
Bradstreet Style
*Punisher video
game preview
I don’t usually
talk about it but I have to say, this DVD provides awesome menus. Lots
of love went into it. The commentary is interesting but sometimes a
snoozer. I really wish either some of the cast or even crew were
included because hearing one person can be a bore sometimes, but
Hensleigh sounds very prepared. The real joy is probably The Punisher
origins. In spirit of the Marvel movie DVD releases, this provides
interesting origins into how the character came to be.
FINAL THOUGHT
The Punisher
is probably more of a guilty pleasure than anything else. There are
some flaws in the movie, but nonetheless I thought it was cool.
