The Punisher (2004) - Loosely based on some comic book or other

Whereas everyone knows Superman and Batman, some may be unfamiliar with the (slightly more violent) comic books of the seventies, The Punisher. The titular character is Frank Castle, an FBI agent whose family is murdered by the mob and so he seeks to reek vengeance on all wrong doers.
The Punisher was made into a movie in the eighties (starring Dolph Lundgren) which was met with mixed reactions. It wasn't much like the comics, but it was a fun ride. Now, in 2004, they tried again. This time setting a darker tone (in line with Batman Begins) and casting Thomas Jane as The Punisher.

Again, the film was met with mixed reactions. Personally, I don't think it's that bad, but then it does have its faults. First of all Thomas Jane - fine actor he may be, he just seems too small and weedy to be this unstoppable killing machine. Fair play to him for beefing up for the role (he is annoyingly buff!), but still he's too small. If you know the punisher from the comic books, you'll know he's about 6'2 with a Schwarzenegger-like body, plus a craggy, gritty, lived-in face. Thomas Jane is just too much of a pretty boy! However, he does his best (at least he has the voice for it somehow!). Incidentally, Thomas Jane was not in the (semi) sequel `The Punisher: Warzone.' Instead, Ray Stevenson was cast as the main man. He too was too small (body-wise), but his face - literally - suited the part more as he was uglier (sorry, Ray!).

So Thomas Jane goes on a violent killing spree, despatching all those who wrong his late family, right? Wrong. Actually, there's not all that much `punishment' in the film and it comes across as more of a `How Frank Castle Became The Punisher' movie, almost like it's actually a prequel to Dolph Lundgren's eighties outing. This lack of constant action may well irritate the fan-boys, denying the film a warmer reception. Perhaps this lack of action may be down to the budget? Normally, `Marvel' superhero films get a really big budget to play with (think Iron Man, Thor, Avenger etc), but this one is pretty scaled down. It attempts to show the Punisher's `human side.' We see him having dinner with neighbours, dressing in casual clothes etc. Somehow it `humanises' a character that is supposed to be colder than your average human (more like the Terminator).

But The Punisher did have reasonable success on DVD sales, meaning it wasn't all bad. This could be because it may not have been the most faithful interpretation of the comic, but it was pretty mainstream, i.e. appealing to as many people as possible.

I found its main faults were, for one, The Punisher's `comic relief' neighbours. I hated them. I wanted to see them `punished' more than the villains. And, secondly, there are a few plot points which left me rolling my eyes. The Punisher is a wanted man, known in the media for illegally slaying people (bad people, but still people). However, he simply lives in a block of flats, spends his days out front tinkering with cars and wandering round the streets, yet no one seems to ever find him. Even the bad guys seem to know where he lives, yet only come for him at home after he's done away with most of them.

Anyway, I digress... parts of it annoyed me, but, ultimately, what you have here is a pretty solid `revenge movie.' You don't have to know or like the comic to enjoy this. If you want some gritty, revenge-based violence, then give this a go.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that