The impressively muscular chest of Tom Jane is the focal point of The Punisher, a movie 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 Saint (John Travolta, Face/Off), a shady Florida businessman whose son was killed in Castle's last mission, orders a hit not only on Castle's wife and child, but also on his parents and a whole bunch of aunts, uncles, cousins, and so forth. The killers shoot Castle himself in the chest, but he inexplicably survives and--as any moviegoer expects--sets out to even the score. Implausibly, given his sometimes curious and roundabout methods, he succeeds. Also featuring Will Patton (Armageddon) as an oily thug, Laura Harring (Mulholland Drive) as Saint's fleshpot wife, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (X-Men) as a waitress with bad taste in men. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Rating:
Summary: Quick Shipping!
Comment: The video I ordered as a Christmas present came quickly and in plenty of time for the holidays!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: "The Punisher Lacks Charisma"
Comment: Thomas Jane in "The Punisher" proves brawn and good looks don't necessary make for a compelling "Superhero." Jane lacked the prerequisite charisma necessary for audiences to root for his ultimate victory. John Travolta's character, Howard Saint, is cool and collected, but underneath his calm exterior beats the heart of his "Swordfish," character--- Gabriel. Travolta is so riveting, as a bad guy, that you hope he wins in the end. Cheering for Travolta says more about the ineptitude of Jane rather that the tour de force of Travolta. Even when Jane's entire family is exterminated by the hired guns of Howard Saint (Travolta), you don't sympathize with him. Typically, when the protagonist is laying the foundation for his motivation and concurrent actions, you either lament with him through extreme "pathos" for his lost or ponder his next move. The internal dialogue being, "I'd feel the same way if someone killed my family in such a heinous fashion." The second option would be sympathizing with the character's "Ice in the veins." Denzel Washington did it adroitly in "Man on Fire." By taking the only person he loved, Washington made you feel his extremes for retribution were warranted. Not so with "The Punisher." No feelings are evoked. The brooding, mysterious man of action, just doesn't work for Thomas Jane. Actor Josh Hartnett would have done for "The Punisher" what Christian Bale did for "Batman". Largely, provide depth and context to the action.

I recommend "The Punisher" for Travolta's portrayal as well as the supporting cast as organized criminals with charismatic edges. Absent the supporting cast, "The Punisher" feels like punishment.

Edward Brown
Core Edge Image & Charisma Institute
www.core-edge.com

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Customer Rating:
Summary: 3 stars out of 4
Comment: The Bottom Line:

Unfairly maligned by critics, The Punisher offers a appealingly retro vigilante movie that slides nicely up against the Mad Max movies, (which it strongly resembles) albeit without the flair of Miller's trilogy.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: NOT the EXTENDED CUT
Comment: This is not a review of the Movie itself so may others have already done so.

Rather It is to make others aware that this is NOT the EXTENDED CUT previously released on DVD. This is the basic version shown in theaters. The EXTENDED CUT has a running time of 140 mins, where this version is only 123 mins. Every other Marvel Blu I have purchases has been the EXTENDED, or DIRECTOR, or UNRATED CUTS. I was Disappointed that I did not check this info out before placing my order. It was my assumption this Blu would be on par with the rest of them.


I hope this help others who might also prefer the EXTENDED CUTS of the films. Learn from my mistake =)

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Punish The Guilty!
Comment: The second Marvel Comics movie about their anti-heroic creation "The Punisher" harkens back to those popular Charles Bronson vigilante thrillers from the 1970s. This straightforward, old-fashioned, formulaic, but utterly suspenseful revenge epic looks pretty realistic compared to the usual action-oriented Hollywood pulp blown far out of proportion by special effects ad nauseam. You know the kind of movie I am referring to with blood squibs exploding like tomatoes, bullets flying in lead swarms like locust, and profanity galore. "GoldenEye" scribe Michael France and writer-turned-helmer Jonathan Hensleigh have loaded a lot of wit into this otherwise nondescript, down-to-earth, kill or be killed payback parable. Delete the white skull T-shirt scene and the parking lot shot, and you'd never guess that this shoot'em up was based on the thirty year Marvel Comic protagonist who appeared initially in 1974 as a "Spider-man" nemesis. Hensleigh states on "The Punisher" DVD commentary track that Sam Peckinpah, Don Siegel, and Sergio Leone inspired him. He points out also that France and he derived their material primarily from the Garth Ennis "Punisher" from 2001 "Welcome Back, Frank." Like the Dolph Lundgren "Punisher," this one ignores the protagonist's "Spider-man" origins.

Indeed, "The Punisher" so singles out its objectives that anything beyond the hero's grim retribution appears disposable. The supporting cast in the apartment section of the film gives the story most of its humor than its haunted, hard-drinking, stoic hero. Nevertheless, "The Punisher" ripples with considerable imagination for a hardcore, balls-to-the-wall actioneer. Our obsessive champion lives only to savor the moments when he can settle a score in blood and he can see no farther than the next target on his hit-list. After he wipes out the opposition, Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) thrusts a gun down his gullet. Without his wife and young son, Frank finds no meaning in life.

Conversely, "The Punisher" doesn't drum up those anti-social sentiments. Hensleigh portrays a lot of shooting, stabbing, and killing, but he doesn't celebrate the hero's violence behavior. "The Punisher" shows the consequences of violence. Death and killing alter both people and events. Second string tough guy Thomas Jane, so wonderful in "Stander," makes his bid for the big-screen as the eponymous character and succeeds for my money. Jane spends the bulk of "The Punisher" baring his Bo-Flex physique when he isn't braving a gauntlet of obstacles that would stagger ordinary mortals.

Hardcore "Punisher" fans may quibble about some of the alterations in the comic book's transition from page to screen. Our redoubtable hero Frank Castle is working undercover for the FBI where we first meet him in Tampa, Florida. An FBI agent rather than a U.S. Marine (watch the extended version), Castle poses as a "Stander" type Euro arms dealer selling contraband weapons to a small fry Mafia solder, Mickey Duka (Eddie Jemison), an errand boy for notorious Saint crime family.

The major complication is that one of Saint's sons; Bobby (newcomer James Carpinello in a dual role) decides to cut himself in on one of his soldier's deals and accompanies Mickey to the buy. Unfortunately, poor Bobby Saint takes one for the team during a shoot-out after the authorities stage the bogus death of one of their undercover operatives. Predictably, Howard Saint is not amused. Saint's trophy wife Livia (Hispanic actress Laura Harring of "John Q") demands reprisal. Eventually, Saint's resourceful, right-hand henchman, Quentin Glass (the vastly underrated Will Patton of "The Rapture") learns that Saint's son died in an FBI sting.

In no time, Saint sends Glass and an army of gunsels to wipe out the Castle clan, including Frank's father, Frank the Elder, (Roy Schneider of "The French Connection" and "Jaws."), during a family reunion. Ironically, Frank had no idea who died on the docks the night of his sting or that his old FBI buddy with a gambling debt sold him out. Glass' thugs run down Frank's wife (Samantha Mathis of "Broken Arrow") and his young son Will (first-time actor Marcus Johnson) as they flee in futility from the family reunion. Bobby's vengeful brother administers the last rites to Frank on the dock, but you cannot kill an action hero. Frank survives this carnage under mysterious circumstances that defy logic. Nevertheless, the hero is so miserable that his only consolation flows from a bottle of Wild Turkey.

Along the way, Frank establishes his headquarters in a remote apartment complex where three other tenants abide; Joan (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos of "X-Men"), Dave (Ben Foster), and Mr.Bumpo (John Pinette). When Saint's killers visit Frank, anybody else would have called the landlord and demanded his eviction. Instead, this trio tries to help him, and they pay for their interference. You'll spot the "Othello" homage when Frank Castle turns Saint against Livia and his second-in-command. A bone-jarring, close-quarters combat scene that erupts between Frank and another assassin is fun to watch, too. Frank's assailant is a Russian about three times bigger who nearly destroys not only him but also the apartment complex.

As the chief villain, "Pulp Fiction" star John Travolta is incredibly creepy in a restrained performance as Rome emperor-like crime lord Howard Saint, and Travolta's death scene alone justifies watching this gritty movie. As the hero's sworn enemy, Travolta isn't afraid of getting faux blood on himself. He establishes his villainous credentials from the start when he personally executes a wayward mobster minion responsible for the demise of his arrogant son. Incidentally, Travolta's death scene provides the movie with its signature money shot. Not only is it by far the most over-the-top scene, but it also is truly unforgettable. (Mind you, there are other great scenes, for instance, the Popsicle and steak interrogation scene is probably the most memorable.

Altogether, "The Punisher" doesn't look like a comic book movie with its R-rating, but Thomas Jane cuts quite a figure as its merciless but anti-heroic protagonist.

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