Review of The Punisher (2004) by Martin D — 27 Mar 2010

Those who do evil to others - the killers, the rapists, psychos, sadists - you will come to know me well. Frank Castle is dead. Call me... The Punisher.

Wow. Despite the blood and violence, I still fell completely in love with this film. I don't have a lot of comic book background, but still, I was able to appreciate the simple storyline of this film: revenge. Revenge is the fueling factor for the hero and villain to provide a stirring conflict. Frank Castle (Jane) is a talented FBI agent who came fresh from a successful drug heist and is looking forward to spending a holiday and, finally, a relocation for himself and his wife, Maria (Mathis) and their only son, Will (Johns). Unfortunately, during the heist, he accidentally killed the youngest son of drug tycoon Howard Saint (Travolta, whose performance felt mediocre compared to the other villains he has previously portrayed). The latter swears revenge, and during the funeral for his son, Howard orders his henchmen to find and kill Castle. On the request of his wife, Livia (Harring), he also tells his right-hand man, Quentin Glass (Patton) to kill Castle's entire family. They succeed, but Castle survives, and this time, he sets his sights on the entire Saint family. Although the movie may seem like one "I hit you, you hit me back" film, the sheer amusement of seeing Travolta being hoodwinked into the final, fatal showdown with Castle - actually, scratch that. It doesn't even feel like a showdown, since Castle is the one throwing all of the major hits - makes up for what could have been a boring film. If they only made Travolta's character the same as his former villain roles, then this would have been top-notch.