The Punisher (2004 film)
From Freepedia
This article is about the 2004 movie. For the 1989 movie starring Dolph Lundgren, see The Punisher (1989 film).
The Punisher is a 2004 movie, based on the Marvel Comics character, starring Thomas Jane as Frank Castle (The Punisher) and John Travolta as the gangster who orders the death of Castle's family.
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Plot summary
Former Delta Force soldier and Special Agent Frank Castle had it all: a loving family, a great life, and a upcoming desk job. On his final assignment, Castle plays his undercover role perfectly, but the operation spins out of control and a young man, Bobby Saint, is inadvertently killed. Inflamed by the death of their son, the Saints are willing to risk their newfound legitimacy on a wholesale mission of vengeance. Castle's worst nightmare is about to come true, as Howard Saint and his lieutenants unleash hell at the Castle family reunion. But Castle, to his everlasting torment, survives. Until this moment, he has spent his entire life adhering strictly to the law. However, experience has taught him that the law cannot adequately penalize the people who murdered his family. Drawing upon all he has learned in 20 years, Castle sets in motion a plan to punish the murderers.
Cast
- Thomas Jane - Frank Castle (as Tom Jane)
- John Travolta - Howard Saint
- Will Patton - Quentin Glass
- Rebecca Romijn-Stamos - Joan
- Ben Foster - Spacker Dave
- John Pinette - Bumpo
- Samantha Mathis - Maria Castle
- Marcus Johns - Will Castle
- James Carpinello - Bobby Saint/John Saint
- Laura Harring - Livia Saint
- Eddie Jemison - Micky Duka
- Kevin Nash - The Russian
- Mark Collie - Harry Heck
Reaction
On its release on April 16, 2004, it was mostly panned by critics. Some stated that it was brutal, dull, and full of clichés. However, many have defended the movie stating that compared to most comic book based movies, it is a well done throwback to the old school action movies of the 60s and 70s. During pre-production, director Jonathan Hensleigh and cinematography Conrad W. Hall looked at dozens of action films, crime sagas and westerns made between 1960 and 1978, including the Dirty Harry series, The Getaway, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Godfather and Bonnie and Clyde. Those movies helped establish the cinematic vocabulary Hensleigh and Hall developed for The Punisher. "We wanted to situate The Punisher as a larger-than-life character," explains Hall. "Without copying these films, they gave us a common ground from which to communicate."
In style, tone and technique, The Punisher evokes the taut, vigorous action storytelling that thrived in the 60s and 70s, says Jonathan Hensleigh, "I greatly admire the tradition of action filmmaking laid down by Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, Sam Peckinpah and, in particular, Don Siegel. I love the spareness of those films. I love the classic camerawork, and the fact that it's based solely on storytelling."
Many have agreed that Thomas Jane was very good as Frank Castle (a.k.a. The Punisher). Dispite mixed reviews from fans of the comic, the movie did very well on DVD and video, doing well enough to warrant a sequel due to release in 2006.
Trivia
- In the movie, Castle's neighbors learn that he worked for CTU. This is the fictional branch of the U.S. Government that Jack Bauer works for on the TV series 24.
External links
- The Punisher (2004) at the Internet Movie Database
- The Punisher Movies hype at the SuperHeroHype!
