The Punisher

Lions Gate Films | Release Date: April 16, 2004

8.0	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 734 Ratings

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User Reviews

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DarkwingSchmuckMar 13, 2022

The most earnest attempt at bringing this Marvel comics character to the big screen, The Punisher is still ultimately a grim, dour, and dull beast.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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kiroaramaJun 29, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Rewatching this film was a mistake, I remember liking it when i was younger but now...
The acting is painfully awkward and cringey. Frank's motivations for taking revenge are on point but you never feel that it was a big loss for him, they try to compensate that with: "Look how much he drinks" and "Look how dead inside he looks". He lost his entire family very recently and it looks like all of that happened many years ago or he never cared about them.
The motivations for people to help him are very thin, there's all that stuff about family with the people he shares building but there's barely any development between them and Frank.
The pacing is bad, it goes to fast, not enough time to develop characters and situations.
The writing and dialog are also really low quality.
It's sad, because I think Thomas Jane looks great as The Punisher.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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Tss5078Feb 22, 2013

The problem with this movie was that it couldn't make up its mind about what it wanted to be, and this ultimately led to its downfall at the box office. The beginning of the film is really intense and it seems like it's going to be one ofThe problem with this movie was that it couldn't make up its mind about what it wanted to be, and this ultimately led to its downfall at the box office. The beginning of the film is really intense and it seems like it's going to be one of those, 'it could happen in real life' comic book adaptations. After the first half hour though, that's gone and replaced with the typical unrealistic bull This film also couldn't decide whether or not it wanted to be PG-13 or R. Ultimately it got the R rating and has the violence that goes with it, but clearly the producers were hoping for the PG-13, and have some really childish parts to it. I hate when that happens, make up your mind! If you're going to be violent and crazy, then go all out, and if not, tone it down and get the PG-13. When they mix both styles, they don't appeal to a larger audience, they appeal to a smaller one. The cast did an adequate job, the story was alright, and the action was pretty cool, but there really isn't much here.… Expand

4 of 15 users found this helpful411

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tethysdustOct 9, 2016

This simple revenge story is an odd mixture of camp and seriousness. The violence is pretty intense, but the most impressive bit was the explosions (of which there are many).

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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TheguyoffireMar 13, 2013

This movie was meh. I liked the book alot better.

3 of 15 users found this helpful312

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HotelCentralMay 15, 2019

Punisher
So this review will be a no-holds-barred spoilerfest because discerning film buffs may have something better to do with their time.
1) The first half hour is devoted to Frank Castle the Cop and Frank Castle the Family Man. I wasPunisher
So this review will be a no-holds-barred spoilerfest because discerning film buffs may have something better to do with their time.

1) The first half hour is devoted to Frank Castle the Cop and Frank Castle the Family Man. I was expecting to see The Punisher. Maybe I was expecting Blade. I liked Blade because it started “in media res” with no time wasted and evolved from there. Everything in the first half hour of Punisher could have been handled in flashbacks lasting a sum total of 5 minutes. Yeah, it would’ve cut the “emotional content” available to the audience, but, seriously, who watches a film like this for the emotional content? Fifteen year old girls who think Punisher dude is dishy?

2) Frank Castle the Family Man ends with a platoon of bad guys traveling to Puerto Rico to slaughter Frank’s entire extended family. They approach under full daylight and don’t even bother wearing masks. There are apparently no people in Puerto Rico except Frank’s kin and the assassins and the assassins shoot up everybody. Kids and grandmas tumble like toy dolls. Things explode into roaring fireballs. Frank is shot at point blank range by one of these “professional killers” and is then blown into the Caribbean by an explosion and of course he survives. I guess the salt water sterilizes the wounds. Some guy in a rowboat picks him up later. Maybe some guy from the comic’s origin story. I didn’t bother looking it up.

In the middle of the slaughter Frank looks out a window and sees his mom being gunned down. His reaction is, “Mom?” Like he either can’t believe his eyes or I don’t know what. And it’s not like this is Frank’s first rodeo. The movie starts with a fair bit of shooting. You’d think the “veteran cop” would instantly risk life and limb to save Mom, or at least spout off with a few raging WTFs!!!!!

3) Frank goes on to wreak havoc and exact vengeance. This part is fairly interesting if you like to see bad guys get what they deserve and you’re not too particular about due process under US law. Apparently the actual police are all on vacation as they never put in an appearance.

4) John Pinette, the late standup comedian, does a nice job in a minor supporting role. There are several people in minor supporting roles. For the most part, these roles only distract from the whole point of the film (vengeance) and pad out the runtime.

5) The world’s greatest “hitman” is called in to kill Frank. He starts off by carrying a guitar into a diner and singing Frank a song. I guess this is supposed to imply that the guy is such a great hitman that he can break all the rules and still take down his target. Naturally, the hitman ends up dead. Frank takes his car.

6) “The Russian” is called in to kill Frank. I guess he's #2 in the world. You know the type. He’s like seven feet tall and you can smash him in the head with a crowbar and he doesn’t even bleed. But only in comics and movies. It turns out he’s vulnerable to burning hot grease in the face. He dies too.

7) There’s a girl in the film. She’s a bad judge of men. Frank saves her from getting murdered. That takes about one minute of screen time. Frank eats the girl’s cooking but keeps his emotional content to himself.

8) Overall, Punisher isn’t such a bad film. It’s just not any better than the typical action-adventure flick being churned out by the hundreds every year. There’s nothing really clever about the story. It ends pretty much where you’d expect.

If you're a real fan of the comic, you'll probably like it. If not, maybe you won't. There are plenty of options that would be far worse.… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

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IRONK1979Jan 30, 2018

It has moments of greatness but overall it drags and doesn't get to what you want fast enough. Thomas Jane is great in the role though.

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

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TyranianJul 3, 2019

Jane is decent and the tone is right but this film has some terrible pacing, plotting and writing.

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

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SuperheroMoviesAug 7, 2013

The film had potential to be a great dark vigilante revenge thriller, but it's shot down by uneven pacing and a story that displays more explosion than it does emotion.

1 of 8 users found this helpful17

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zachattackJan 19, 2012

This was an average film, at best. The Punisher has its share of bad acting and poor dialogue. I thought Jon Travolta, the movies biggest star, was its biggest detraction. Jon managed to turn the cheese up to 10 in his role as a flamboyantThis was an average film, at best. The Punisher has its share of bad acting and poor dialogue. I thought Jon Travolta, the movies biggest star, was its biggest detraction. Jon managed to turn the cheese up to 10 in his role as a flamboyant mob boss. I expected more from Jon, seeing how well he played the villain in the movie 'Face/Off' years ago, but alas, the magic didn't carry over to this film. I didn't like the films attempt to be 'cheerful' and 'light-hearted,' either. The Punisher finds himself preparing for vengeance while living in an apartment building. Enter 3 oddball neighbors who constantly (and unsuccessfully) try to befriend Frank Castle. I know its an attempt to 'humanize' Frank Castle and make the audience more empathetic towards him, but really, this isn't an episode of Seinfeld. The Punisher is supposed to be about revenge, not comedy. There were some positive things to note in the Punisher, however. The action scenes were good. There was an 80's feel to them, not unlike Arnold Schwarzenger and Steven Seagal movies of yesteryear. There was one fight scene with a WWE wrestler (Kevin Nash) that was particularly good. I also enjoyed a scene where an assassin showed up to a diner and played a song on an acoustic guitar for The Punisher. Overall, The Punisher is a mixed bag. It has some cheesy dialogue and acting, but also has some decent action sequences. I give it a 5/10.… Expand

1 of 9 users found this helpful18

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CLSJun 13, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've read the Punisher comics that were the inspiration for some of the scenes such as the interrogation and the apartment setting where Frank Castle and his 3 neighbors live. Although Thomas Jane acted well in this movie, I felt that his look for this movie should have been as intimidating as Ray Stevenson's version, which in this reviewer's opinion had the "look" of the Punisher as he appears in the 2000's-era comics. Unfortuntely, most of the villains aren't memorable and I wished the movie used a recurring villain from the comics for the Punisher to fight against instead. The revenge flick is nothing new - yet we are talking about someone who punishes criminals on a daily-basis and that's what the Punisher is good at. Hopefully in the future, someone would actually write a decent story about this Punisher character.… Expand

1 of 11 users found this helpful110

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JamesA.Sep 26, 2005

The only good thing about this movie is Thomas Jane's unbelieveably beautiful body. If he had taken off his pants I would have given it a 10.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

PatC.Jan 31, 2007

A typical tale of vigilantee revenge that works because of the commitment of the actors to their roles.

0 of 0 users found this helpful