Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a pop culture juggernaut, other studios would adapt Marvel's stable of heroes to varying effect. For every blockbuster success, like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy or Blade, there's a Howard the Duck or an unnecessarily grim and gritty Fantastic Four reboot. Somewhere in the middle lies The Punisher, the 2004 adaptation of the titular antihero. While The Punisher was critically panned during its theatrical release, it's remained at the top of Tubi's movie charts this entire week.
The Punisher follows the same story as the comics that inspired it. After FBI agent Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) conducts a sting that leads to the death of would-be arms dealer Bobby Saint, Bobby's father Quentin (John Travolta) seeks vengeance by murdering Frank's family. Frank survives, constructing a campaign to take Saint and his criminal empire down. Looking back, The Punisher plays out less like a comic book adaptation and more like a '70s-style revenge thriller, but that works in its favor.
'The Punisher' Thrives Thanks to Thomas Jane's Performance
While John Travolta might be the biggest name in The Punisher, it's Thomas Jane who is the main attraction thanks to his phenomenal performance as Frank Castle. Jane first portrays Castle as a loving father and husband, before showing him wracked with grief at the murder of his family, and finally transitioning into the cold, calculating killer from the comics. Jane can say as much with a single glare as he does with any sentence, showcasing the storm of emotions roiling inside Castle's mind. Unlike Jon Bernthal's single-minded warrior or Dolph Lundgren's "Punisher In Name Only", Jane's take on Castle feels like a fully fleshed out human being.
It makes him the perfect counterpart to Travolta's Saint, who will fly off the handle given enough provocation -- which Castle does, as he tricks Saint into thinking that his right-hand man Quentin Glass (Will Patton) is sleeping with Saint's wife Livia (Laura Harring). Most fans might cry foul that Castle doesn't gun Saint down in a hail of bullets, yet it's far more satisfying to watch Castle destroy the life of the man who destroyed his family. Castle's relationship with his neighbors Joan (Rebecca Romijn), Dave (Ben Foster) and Bumpo (John Pinette) also adds moments of levity and humanity in between the bloodshed, including a scene where the four share a Thanksgiving dinner.
The extended cut of The Punisher takes things one step further by including a subplot with Castle's former partner, Jimmy Weeks (Russell Andrews). It's revealed that Weeks is the one who betrayed Castle to Saint, as Saint used his gambling habits as leverage over him. What makes this such a harrowing turn of events is that Castle slowly learns of the betrayal, and is genuinely hurt by it. This is a man who he called brother, who saved his life, and yet played a major part in ruining it. Castle and Weeks' final confrontation is the emotional capstone that makes the extended cut of The Punisher worth watching.
Creative Differences Led to a 'Punisher' Sequel Drastically Changing
Despite The Punisher receiving negative reviews and barely making back its budget, strong DVD sales led to a sequel being developed. Thomas Jane and writer/director Jonathan Hensleigh eventually departed over creative differences, with Jane giving his reasons for departing in a simple statement:
What I won't do is spend months of my life sweating over a movie that I just don't believe in. I've always loved the Marvel guys, and wish them well. Meanwhile, I'll continue to search for a film that one day might stand with all those films that the fans have asked me to watch.
This led to Punisher: War Zone, with the late Ray Stevenson strapping on Frank Castle's skull symbol. However, Thomas Jane would play the Punisher in two more projects: a Punisher video game in 2005 that hews extremely close to Garth Ennis' run on the character, and Dirty Laundry, a short film that's part of Adi Shankar's "Bootleg Universe" that reinterprets pop culture icons in the same vein as his future work on Devil May Cry and Castlevania. The fact that Jane was not only able to reprise his role twice but do so to immense fan reception proves that his work as the Punisher appeals to people.
The Punisher Like R Action Crime Drama Release Date April 15, 2004 Runtime 124 minutes Director Jonathan Hensleigh Writers Michael France Producers Avi Arad, Christopher Roberts, Christopher Eberts, Gale Anne Hurd, Kevin Feige, Stan Lee, Andreas Schmid Cast See All John Travolta Howard Saint Thomas Jane Frank Castle / The Punisher
Genres Action, Crime, Drama Powered by Expand Collapse