The Punisher (2004)

An undercover FBI agent becomes a vigilante assassin and sets out to unleash his wrath upon the corrupt businessman who slaughtered his entire family at a reunion.

Director:

Jonathan Hensleigh

Writers:

Jonathan Hensleigh, Michael France

Stars:

Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Samantha Mathis

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
A. Russell Andrews	...	Jimmy Weeks (as Russell Andrews)
Omar Avila	...	Joe Toro
James Carpinello	...	Bobby Saint / John Saint
Mark Collie	...	Harry Heck
Russell Durham Comegys	...	Tattooed Mike (as Russ Comegys)
Antoni Corone	...	T.J.
Rick Elmhurst	...	Bay News 9 Newscaster
Ben Foster	...	Spacker Dave
Michael Reardon	...	Toro Croupier (as Michael Francis)
Laura Harring	...	Livia Saint
William Haze	...	EMT (as William Hasenzahl)
Thomas Jane	...	Frank Castle (as Tom Jane)
Eddie Jemison	...	Micky Duka
Marco St. John	...	Police Chief Morris
Marcus Johns	...	Will Castle

Storyline

Special agent Frank Castle had it all: A loving family, a great life, and an adventurous job. But when his life is taken away from him by a ruthless criminal and his associates, Frank has become reborn. Now serving as judge, jury, and executioner, he's a new kind of vigilante out to wage a one man war against those who have done him wrong.

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Plot Keywords:

family reunion | vigilante | revenge | origin of hero | death of family | 

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Taglines:

This Is Not Revenge. It's Punishment!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive brutal violence, language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

El castigador

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$33,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,834,527, 18 April 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$33,682,273, 4 July 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lions Gate Films, Marvel Enterprises, Valhalla Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min 140 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Castle's sidearm for the climactic firefight is a modified 1911-style .45 equipped with a compensator, extended safeties and slide stop, beveled magazine well, and adjustable sights.

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Goofs

(at around 23 mins) The motorcycle lands pointing to the left when driver is shot off it, but when Castle picks it up to pursue the criminals, it's facing the other way.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bobby Saint: So I'm gonna get a three-to-one return on my money?
Micky Duka: Otto is the real deal. I met him at a hash bar in Amsterdam. He speaks Russian, German, Arabic...

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Crazy Credits

The Marvel logo features comic-book images of the Punisher in its pages; after it fully forms, it is shot three times and "bleeds" white paint which forms the Punisher's skull, and the film's title.

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Connections

Referenced in The Task: Pilot (2016)

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Soundtracks

Never Been in Love
Written by Stephen Lang, Jamie Dunlap, and Scott Nickoley
Published by Revision West (BMI) and Red Engine Music (ASCAP)
Performed by Lewis LaMedica
Courtesy Marc Ferrari / MasterSource

User Reviews

I enjoyed everything about this dark tale.

The Punisher put my faith back into revenge movies. The action in this film is unbelievable and grim. I found myself not wanting the story to end. Many of the movies based on superheroes in a comic book tend not to sticks gritty and real. This one was and then some. The movie has surpassed my expectation and I certainly look forward Punisher 2.

The next film sets itself up for a kick butt start. They should take a page from X2 or the Lethal Weapon series and just open the next film with a wild battle. You can grab the viewer right away and still tell your full story right after. I hope the entire cast as well as the director returns because they crafted one quality origin story here. In summary, I enjoyed everything about this dark tale.