The Punisher

2004
R
2h 4m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

173K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

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One-Person Army Action Superhero Action Crime Drama Thriller

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

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

173K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,955

275

Director
- Jonathan Hensleigh
Writers
- Jonathan Hensleigh
- Michael France
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 5 nominations

Frank Castle
(as Tom Jane)

John Travolta

Howard Saint

Samantha Mathis

Maria Castle

Laura Harring

Livia Saint

A. Russell Andrews

Jimmy Weeks
(as Russell Andrews)

Omar Avila

Joe Toro

James Carpinello

Bobby 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)

William Haze

EMT
(as William Hasenzahl)

Eddie Jemison

Micky Duka

Marco St. John

Police Chief Morris

Marcus Johns

Will Castle

Bonnie Johnson

Betty Castle

Director
- Jonathan Hensleigh
Writers
- Jonathan Hensleigh
- Michael France
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
While filming their knife fight scene, Thomas Jane accidentally stabbed Kevin Nash. Nash accepted cold beers from the film crew as compensation.

Goofs
(at around 26 mins) When Frank Castle's wife and child are in the Blazer trying to escape, it flips over. While flipping, the hand on the steering wheel is wearing a black bracelet, but when Maria crawls out of the car she is wearing no bracelets. The "black bracelets" are safety devices for the stunt driver, similar to what Sprint Car drivers wear to prevent their arms exiting the profile of the vehicle during "accidents" or stunts.

Quotes
The Punisher: I leave this as a declaration of intent, so no one will be confused. One: "Si vis pacem, para bellum." Latin. Boot Camp Sergeant made us recite it like a prayer. "Si vis pacem, para bellum - If you want peace, prepare for war."
[cut to later, as Frank prepares his weapons for the final attack on Saint's gang]
The Punisher: Two: Frank Castle is dead. He died with his family. Three: in certain extreme situations, the law is inadequate. In order to shame its inadequacy, it is necessary to act outside the law. To pursue... natural justice. This is not vengeance. Revenge is not a valid motive, it's an emotional response. No, not vengeance. Punishment.

Crazy credits
The Marvel Comics 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.

Alternate versions
An unrated extended cut was released on DVD in the US November 2006, featuring 17 minutes of additional footage, expanding the film to nearly two and a half hours at 140 minutes total.

Connections
Featured in Army of One: Punisher Origins (2004)

Soundtracks
Swing Time
Written by Daniel May
Published by Revision West (BMI)
Performed by Daniel May
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari / MasterSource

User reviews711

Review

Featured review

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.