While the 1989 adaptation of the Marvel comic was a cheesy, action-packed, B-movie starring Dolph Lundgren, the 2004 is a big-bucks Hollywood blockbuster which stands as a great example of its kind. Instead of being clichéd and tired, THE PUNISHER kicks backside from beginning to end, charting an unlikely path between human drama, comedy and balls-to-the-wall action, and succeeding admirably. The first half-hour of the movie – which sets up the events which are to follow – is absolutely tragic, and had me reaching for the hankies on occasion; afterwards, the film turns into a dark vigilante thriller, very violent in places yet touching and funny in others. A witty script and excellent theme tune really help to add to the proceedings.Thomas Jane (who has never had his chance at the limelight before, after appearing as one-dimensional characters like the hero in DEEP BLUE SEA), is outstanding in the role, not only massively muscular, but a quality actor too. Bad guy duties go to the tag-team of Will Patton (who looks like Ron Perlman in BLADE II) as a sadist and John Travolta, overacting to the hilt and remaining utterly enjoyable, as only he can, as the family man/crime boss. Director Jonathan Hensleigh also elicits some very good roles to the supporting likes of the three actresses, Laura Harring, Rebecca Romijn, Samantha Mathis, and also Roy Scheider, who really has been away from our scenes too long. Finally, there's Ben Foster, who seems to be carving a path for himself with slightly psychotic characters, in this and HOSTAGE.Of course, this is an action flick at heart, and there are some great scenes. The climatic shoot-out, complete with bombs disguised as champagne bottles and a wicked bow and arrow, is top-notch stuff, and you've gotta love the car-dragging sequence which follows – how perfectly cinematic can you get? Meanwhile, the over-the-top (but yet so cool) battle between Jane and a hired Russian assassin is one of the most brutal and exciting I've witnessed. Also watch out for one of the most painful sequences put on film, which shows you don't need gore for effect – all I'll say is that it'll put you off piercings for life! All in all, THE PUNISHER is a dark and brooding action flick, expertly directed and with real style. Bring on the sequel.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen. The script is horrible, the dialogue is horrible, the acting is horrible. The editors were not on their A game this day. With such a great story in The Punisher comics you would think you could pull off a great movie. I would suggest sticking with the Daredevil Netflix series to get a better representation of the Punisher. I am hoping we get a spin off series soon. This was just a very poorly executed film. As this review sums it up, I am going to pontificate nothing within these next two sentences. This is just an attempt to meet IMDb's silly policy of ten lines of text.

The Punisher is the first on-screen iteration (not counting that awful one from the 90s) of the titular ultraviolent Marvel character, starring Thomas Jane. This movie is a well-acted, well- directed revenge flick that's obviously dark and R-Rated, but also maintains a sense of fun and amusement. A fun, dark tone is a very rare thing in a revenge movie such as this. It's not full-on comedy like Deadpool and it's nowhere near as dark and brooding as the 2016 Jon Bernthal edition in season 2 of Marvel's Daredevil, but it's somewhere in between. This is worth a watch and certainly enjoyable, a worthy adaptation.

This wonderful revenge film was acted and directed with complete conviction but still found the time to kick ass. This is one of the best movies I have seen this year and I go to at least one movie a week. The acting was good. This movie is one of those movies that make you wonder why every movie isn't as good. However, if you are aren't the type that likes intense violence and content a bit more mature than PG, then I don't recommend this at all to you.Tom Jane plays Frank Castle, a broken and confused F.B.I. agent who loses his family to a band of mobsters, who horrifically slaughter every last one of the members of his family, including his extended family. The pain and anger that he deals with causes him to become what he used to hunt down, a murderer who slaughters criminals day and night. His first target is the man responsible for his family's murder, a man named Howard Saint (terrifically played by John Travolta). The suspense and excitement experienced throughout the film eventually unfurls into a dramatic and astonishing conclusion that movie-goers will never forget.