The Punisher

THE PUNISHER (2004) - April 16, 2004
A cheesy, stupid but marginally entertaining movie. Despite the fact that he is the Punisher, Frank Castle doesn't seem to do much punishing. Thomas Jane is really good, as usual, but the movie is not. The beginning goes on a bit too long (we know his family is going to die, so just get to it). The whole midsection of the film is pretty much devoid of action. There is one big fight where the Punisher takes on the Russian, a huge wrestler, but it is less a fight, and more just watching Thomas Jane take a beating until he finally pushes the Russian down the stairs. And it seems to be played more for laughs than anything else, as Thomas Jane keeps reacting wackily to the Russian's great strengh. Plus it keeps cutting to the "wacky" neighbours, which doesn't help (and in fact all of the Punisher's neighbours are pretty much superfluous). Plus the Punisher spends most of the movie trying to trick the villain into thinking his wife is cheating on him. I want the Punisher to be breaking into bad guys' homes and shooting them in the back of the head while they're shaving, not skulking around like that guy from Othello. The big action sequence at the end was pretty good (if a little short) but at that point I was so not into the movie I didn't even care. *1/2