The Punisher, made in 2004 and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, tells the origin story of the Marvel Comics character of the same name. FBI agent Frank Castle, played by Thomas Jane, is involved with an undercover operation that goes wrong and leaves the son of crime boss Howard Saint, played by John Travolta, dead. Saint, in his anger, has Frank’s entire family killed. After narrowly escaping, Frank becomes The Punisher, a vigilante hell bent on revenge.
The costumes and set design in this movie are not complicated or special for the most part, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The costumes in the movie are mostly normal clothes; the gangsters wear suits and Frank’s neighbors wear street clothes. The only real costume in the movie would be the skull shirt that Frank wears. The skull that Frank wears on his shirt (see the picture) is based on the shirt his son bought for him as a gift before the family massacre and is worn as a memento and a symbol. Towards the climax of the movie, Frank wears a bulletproof vest with the skull symbol on it. An interesting thing about The Punisher as a character is that, unlike other comic heroes, he leaves his head completely unprotected. This may seem like a poor decision that shows Frank’s disregard for his own safety, but as the costume is the same as that of the comics, the point is that the skull on his chest acts as a target so that enemies shoot at his heavily armored body rather than his exposed head.
The characters in the movie are very significant and well executed for the most part. Thomas Jane does a great job portraying this more lighthearted version of the character. From when Frank is having a good time with his family to when he is killing Howard Saint’s men in extreme fashion to when he drinks his troubles away, every emotion is conveyed brilliantly. The only problem with this version of Frank Castle is that his lighthearted nature makes it seem like he should have some kind of moral compass, but he has none. He seems like a reasonable person and he is civil and kind to his neighbors, yet he has no problem killing Saint’s men and ruining his life. The character is not supposed to have reservations about killing people, so the movie version is accurate, but it feels a bit uncharacteristic of the Frank we see on screen.
The other characters in the movie serve their purpose well. Frank’s neighbors, played by Rebecca Romijn, Ben Foster, and comedian John Pinette, are kindhearted misfits who have been through tough times. They accept Frank and treat him like family when they find out about his family and Frank, in turn, stands up for them as well. One of the best scenes in the movie shows Dave (Ben Foster) getting interrogated and tortured by Saint’s men as they try to get him to say where Frank is hiding by tearing out all of Dave’s piercings. This is when Frank realizes that even though they just met him, his neighbors are ready to die for him. Another good character in the film is Howard Saint. John Travolta was a strange choice to play a crime boss, but the role was not very complicated. Howard Saint is not too evil, but not good either; he serves his purpose as a villain who is having his life ruined. As for the other characters like the Russian, a big Russian hitman, Harry Heck, a guitar playing hitman, and Quentin Glass, Howard Saint’s secretly gay best friend and right-hand-man, they don’t go much deeper than that; they just serve their purpose as characters.
What sets The Punisher apart from other Marvel movies made around the same time like Daredevil, Electra, and Hulk is the lack of computer generated special effects. Nevertheless, The Punisher still has great fight scenes and action. The style and skills of the character are really shown well in the film; from hand-to-hand combat to careful planning and resourcefulness to extreme abundance of firepower. In all, the action in the movie may not be as violent as in the comics, but for an origin story and a more lighthearted take on the character, it is entertaining and engaging nonetheless.
Not much can be said about the other aspects of the film: there is not much music in the movie, the cinematography is nothing special, and the set design was accurately average in that it showed what it was supposed to show, but was not too important.
In conclusion, The Punisher is an entertaining film and a good adaptation of the comic book character. The movie isn’t groundbreaking and overall it is an average early 2000’s Marvel Comics movie and an average action movie, so if you are looking for interesting characters, good action, a good and simple plot, and a little comedy, then The Punisher is worth watching.
