The Punisher (2004)

 

When Marvel started to gain some more steam, they also wanted some of their 'lesser' known characters to get some love. Even though the Punisher already had an adaptation that was in itself not really faithful to the character but still an okay 80s action romp, this one wanted to be closer to the comics. 

It didn't really work either, as there's not a lot of punishing being done. In fact, this one is - save for a few moments - rather boring. 

The first act of this film is actually very well done. The character of Frank Castle is built up nicely and the sense of impending doom is palpable. Castle has had a last mission as FBI agent, during which a son of a crime boss has been accidentally killed. Castle is sold out by one of his fellow agents and because of this, his entire family is brutally slain. 

This segment of the film is spot on.

Of course, Castle survives and vows revenge. He moves to a building in a seedy part of town, inhabited by a trio of colourful people, including the ravishing Rebecca Romijn. He starts creating his arsenal and sets his plan in motion to bring the crime boss nothing but ruin. Not via pure violence, but subterfuge, as he is making the underlings of said boss fight one another and Castle sows distrust among the ranks. 

There is a showdown at the end, but it isn't as satisfying as one would hope and even though the film hints at a sequel, this never came to pass as in all honesty this one is pretty underwhelming. 

There are some good points, though. Thomas Jane is an excellent choice for playing Frank Castle: he has the look and the poise to bring the guy to life. The first act really sets up the loss to come and the actual slaying of his entire family is pretty brutal. Sure, the murder of his wife and son hearkens back to the original 'Mad Max', but still. The violence when present, is also not sugarcoated and at times pretty brutal. There is a torture scene that will absolutely make most people cringe when thinking about it. And yes, Rebecca Romijn is really good as the sort-of-but-not-really new love interest and she does display a lot of range, something she also did while playing Mystique in the 'X-Men' films. In fact, most of the casting is pretty good.

But as a whole, the film is just downright boring. The villains are underwhelming, and this is not the fault of the actors, as they try their best with what they're given. Travolta can be a great villain, but he doesn't have much to do. The same goes for his henchmen and we're not even going to talk about the almost comedic insertion of the character of The Russian who is comic book accurate, but is so hamfisted in it's almost ridiculous. 

In fact, the mere idea that the makers decided not to let the actual Punisher do some violent punishing is just plain weird. There are lots of scenes of people talking and doing some covert stuff, but not a lot of violence, which is a choice no one really understands, as this character is known for being brutal. This is why, in the end, this film is okay, but underwhelming. The one with Lundgren might have been exceptionally light on story, but did deliver in the action department. This one does the opposite and feels like a lesser film for it.