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

Colour:

Colour

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 bourbon Castle drinks throughout the film is "Wild Turkey". In the Jimmy Weeks subplot, we see Jimmy drinking the same brand.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Frank Castle's wife and child are in the Blazer trying to escape, it flips over, while flipping the hand on the steering wheel is wearing a black bracelet, when his wife crawls out of the car she is wearing no bracelets. The "black bracelets" are safety devices for the stunt driver, similar to what Sprint Car drivers wear to prevent their arms exiting the profile of the vehicle during "accidents" or stunts

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:

Referenced in Army of One: Punisher Origins (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Miami Nights

One of 2004's Best Movies - GREAT revenge film

This wonderful revenge film was acted and directed with complete conviction but still found the time to kick ass. This is one of the best movies I have seen this year and I go to at least one movie a week. The acting was good. I would recommend this movie to everyone. I thought it was going to be some type of 80's action movie, but it turned out to be great movie aimed towards an older crowd. The beginning is a bit slow, but the action really keeps you focused. Thomas Jane did an excellent job as the Punisher and Travolta's performance was much better than I was expecting. This is a movie that thinks so deeply about its conflicts and decisions that there are times when the audience itself feels like it has a personal stake in the outcome. This is by far the best film in the reinvigorated sub-genre of comic-book-to-screen conversions.