The Punisher DVD Review:

After completing his last assignment for the FBI, Frank Castle (Jane) takes his family to Puerto Rico to celebrate his retirement. Unbeknownst to him one of the casualties of the during his final arrest was the son of Tampa’s crime lord Howard Saint (Travolta) and he sends a team to seek revenge on Castle, killing his entire family. Left for dead, Frank Castle returns to Tampa not to seek revenge but deal out some punishment.

Marvel’s assault on the box office continues but will The Punisher stall that impressive run? Probably not but it is a slight misfire.

Marvel’s violent vigilante makes his second appearance on the big screen (Dolph Lundgren played the part in 1989) but the film shares far too many similarities with its 80s counterpart. As other Marvel adaptations enjoy well-structured scripts and character development, as well as rip-roaring action, The Punisher reverts back to a time when any resemblance of a plot was the least important element of a movie. This film suffers from an 80s mentality that makes the anti-hero just a brooding, angry warrior with one goal and no depth at all. The filmmakers really missed an opportunity to bring one of comic’s darkest characters to life, with all the problems that come from a man driven to punish the guilty.

Moving the Punisher’s story to the sun drenched state of Florida takes away all the darkness and foreboding one of the East Coast cities could have brought to the production. Tampa just doesn’t portray menace in the slightest as it conjures up thoughts of sand, sea and smiles and not guns, violence and blood. Seeing The Punisher dressed in his trademark big leather jacket actually makes him look stupid as you know he would be far too hot running about with that on in the Florida sun.

The one thing the filmmakers got right was casting Thomas Jane as Frank Castle. Jane had always had quite a hard, iconic look about him and as The Punisher he puts this presence to good use. He is the best thing in the movie but the lacklustre script and the location hinder his performance and the development of the character.

John Travolta is no stranger to playing the bad guy and it is a character dynamic that he revels in. As Howard Saint he is suitably over the top but again, the writing makes the character very one-dimensional and limits any kind of development or background information on what could have been an interesting villain.

A top-notch supporting cast joins the two leads but unfortunately their characters also suffer from underdevelopment. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is no stranger to the genre but her character Joan, and the other people who share the building with Frank Castle seem surplus to requirements and a distraction from the main goal of the movie, the punishment of wrong doers. Will Patton and Laura Harring are fine as Saint’s right hand man and wife but they really don’t have the material to challenge their craft. There is also small but pivot parts for Samantha Mathis and the great Roy Scheider.

The Punisher is all action and no substance making it a frustrating watch for fans of the character and comic book movies. The whole film just shouts wasted opportunity, as this is a deep and complicated character that could have been a true anti-hero screen icon. It isn’t Howard Saint that deserves punishment it is director Jonathan Hensleigh and his team that need to feel Frank Castle’s form of justice.

Star Rating = * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, this is an excellent transfer. The picture quality is first rate, capturing the bright Florida sun and darker world of Frank Castle superbly. The sound is also very good, especially during the explosive action sequences.

BONUS FEATURES

Audio Commentary with Director Jonathan Hensleigh

The co-writer and director of the movie talks passionately about the project and the Marvel comic book character. He reveals that the screenplay was based upon the ‘Welcome Home Frank’ graphic novel series and the original remit of the movie was to create a ‘R’ rated film (18 in the UK) that would be influenced by the similar themed genre pictures of the 70s. He talks about the changes to the script, the character and the setting, highlighting scenes that where cut due to budgetary reasons and the repercussions to the script because of this. This is an informative and technical commentary track from a director who clearly has a respect for the character and the world he inhabits.

Deleted Scenes (2.58 mins)

With optional commentary by director Jonathan Hensleigh, these two deleted scenes entitled ‘Introduction of Saints and Sinners Club’ and ‘Livia insults Nicky Duka’, don’t really add anything the movie and it is easy to see why they were removed.

Keeping it Real: Punisher Stunts (27.46 mins)

Director Jonathan Hensleigh, producer Gale Anne Hurd, cinematographer Conrad W. Hall, stunt coordinator Gary Hymes, combat weapons trainer Michael Mello, stuntmen Mike Owen and Kell Johnston and stars Thomas Jane, Kevin Nash and Mark Chadwick take you behind the scenes of stunt work involved with ‘The Punisher’. The crew show you how the major stunts from the movie were realised with multi-angle shots of the action taking place. This is a very informative featurette that reveals many of the secrets behind however budget action filmmaking and returning to old school values because of the absence of CGI in the movie.

War Journal: On the set of The Punisher (30.00 mins)

Director Jonathan Hensleigh, producer Gale Anne Hurd, cinematographer Conrad W. Hall, producer Avi Arad, production designer Michael Hanan, costume designer Lisa Tomczezyn, special effects producer Kevin Feige, line producer John Starke, composer Carlo Siliolto and stars Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Laura Harring take you through Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production for ‘The Punisher’. The featurette takes you through the script, storyboarding, casting, set design, location shooting, fight and stunt work on the fifty day shoot and then reveals what happened in the editing suite and through to the premiere. This is an informative and insightful featurette that isn’t just your usual backslapping Hollywood promo.

Music Video ‘Step up’ by Drowning Pool (3.25 mins)

Promotional video that accompanied the release of the movie

OVERALL

Even though the film might not be the best comic book adaptation to grace the silver screen, Columbia/Tristar have done a very good job with the DVD. The commentary track from director Jonathan Hensleigh is very good and very informative. The two featurettes are not your usual promotional fair, as they take you right behind the scenes of the making of the movie and show you exactly how it was done. These elements combine to produce a good DVD package for fans and make this a decent rental for everyone else.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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