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The Punisher

  • 2004
  • 16+
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
177K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,342
258
Thomas Jane in The Punisher (2004)
Trailer for this film based on the Marvel comic book character
Play trailer2:28
4 Videos
99+ Photos
One-Person Army ActionSuperheroActionCrimeDramaThriller

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
    • Thomas Jane
    • John Travolta
    • Samantha Mathis
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    177K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,342
    258
    • Director
      • Jonathan Hensleigh
    • Writers
      • Jonathan Hensleigh
      • Michael France
    • Stars
      • Thomas Jane
      • John Travolta
      • Samantha Mathis
    • 718User reviews
    • 199Critic reviews
    • 33Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 5 nominations total

    Videos4

    The Punisher (2004)
    Trailer 2:28
    The Punisher (2004)
    The Punisher (2004)
    Trailer 1:49
    The Punisher (2004)
    The Punisher (2004)
    Trailer 1:49
    The Punisher (2004)
    The Punisher
    Trailer 2:19
    The Punisher
    The Punisher
    Clip 2:20
    The Punisher

    Photos181

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    Top cast69

    Edit
    Thomas Jane
    Thomas Jane
    • Frank Castle
    • (as Tom Jane)
    John Travolta
    John Travolta
    • Howard Saint
    Samantha Mathis
    Samantha Mathis
    • Maria Castle
    Laura Harring
    Laura Harring
    • Livia Saint
    A. Russell Andrews
    A. Russell Andrews
    • Jimmy Weeks
    • (as Russell Andrews)
    Omar Avila
    Omar Avila
    • Joe Toro
    James Carpinello
    James Carpinello
    • Bobby Saint…
    Mark Collie
    Mark Collie
    • Harry Heck
    Russell Durham Comegys
    Russell Durham Comegys
    • Tattooed Mike
    • (as Russ Comegys)
    Antoni Corone
    Antoni Corone
    • T.J.
    Rick Elmhurst
    • Bay News 9 Newscaster
    Ben Foster
    Ben Foster
    • Spacker Dave
    Michael Reardon
    Michael Reardon
    • Toro Croupier
    • (as Michael Francis)
    William Haze
    • EMT
    • (as William Hasenzahl)
    Eddie Jemison
    Eddie Jemison
    • Micky Duka
    Marco St. John
    Marco St. John
    • Police Chief Morris
    Marcus Johns
    Marcus Johns
    • Will Castle
    Bonnie Johnson
    Bonnie Johnson
    • Betty Castle
    • Director
      • Jonathan Hensleigh
    • Writers
      • Jonathan Hensleigh
      • Michael France
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews718

    6.4176.5K
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    Featured reviews

    7papanloveu

    Underrated.

    I can't call this a bad movie but its also hard to consider it good. Thomas Jane was a great choice for Frank Castle but he isn't given a chance to show his Punisher off. The story is slow and tries to be a Character study but misses the mark even on that. A little more action and a higher body count would really have helped this film. Travolta gets to ham it up and does a good job as the main Villian but even he wasn't given enough time to really develop the Character. I dont hate the movie.
    bumblebeeman777

    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.
    8ccthemovieman-1

    A Pleasant Surprise

    I was surprised how good this movie was, not stupid as I figured. It's another one of those based-on-a-comic book hero films that seem to be popular nowadays (Hellboy, Batman, Sin City, Spiderman, Superman, etc.)

    However, this was the not the cartoon-like film I expected. It was more of a pretty brutal revenge-crime movie. It's a rough movie, pure and simple.

    Believable? Of course not. Some of the action is ludicrous but the most ridiculous of all - the fight against the huge Russian, is actually the most fun of the action scenes. The rest is just plain mean as the hero's entire family gets wiped out by gunman and "The Punisher" (Thomas Jane) goes after them after almost being killed himself.

    A smart aspect of this film was inserting a bit of humor in it, such as the two nerds down the hallway who befriend "The Punisher."

    The sometimes-juvenile but interesting action scenes, the diverse characters in here and the humor all combine to make this better than anticipated.

    No, it's anything but a thinking man's movie, but it IS entertaining and harmless if you look at everything tongue-in-cheek.
    7AntiDot

    A great movie for its genre

    I went to see this movie solely because Thomas Jane is in it, who is my latest celeb crush after seeing Stander. I don't read comics, and therefore knows nothing of the comicbook hero, The Punisher/Frank Castle. I didn't expect much, same as I wouldn't (and didn't) of movies like Batman, Catwoman, or The Hulk.

    I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I was actually impressed! (Not easy to do) The dramatic and violent story was amazingly well balanced with the comedy and one-liners. The violence was not half as bad as I expected (although the one with the guillotine and the one with the knife through the chin at the end a bit unsettling...) And I appreciated being spared explicit lovescenes or a corny romance between Frank and Joan. Even the swearing was piped down considerably.

    Of course, this is not Oscar material, but the acting was satisfying, and the story not bad at all. One to enjoy...
    7ma-cortes

    Violent movie upon a bloody vengeance

    The film talks on a police agent G man(Thomas Jane)called Frank Castle whose family(wife Samantha Morton and dad Roy Scheider) was wiped out by a mobsters (John Travolta,wife Laura Harring and son Ben Foster, besides Will Patton) retaliates,thus he executes an incredible revenge originating a bodycount about numerous baddies.He's helped by a freaks group (Rebeca Romijin Stamos and others). The final confrontation amongst the starring and the enemies is breathtaking and groundbreaking .

    In the picture there are thriller,frenetic action ,drama suspense, emotion and a little bit of blood and gore. Runtime film is adjusted about two hours and isn't bored because is fast moving but happen amount events and for that is entertained and funny. The motion picture has a certain resemblance with Charles Bronson films of the series ¨Death Wish¨for the matter, the avenging, thus one personage ,¨the vigilante¨ makes of judge,jury and executioner. The yarn is an adaptation from a Marvel Comics character created by Gary Conway.Previously was realized the first version with Dolph Lundgren and Lois Gossett JR that was a flop and attained lukewarm reception by the public . However this rendition has obtained many success in the box office in spite of the violence is extreme and some scenes are crude and cruel. The interpretation of the principal actors are nice but the secondary cast with the quirky bunch are magnificent. Cinematography by Conrad W.Hall(Son of the mythic photographer Conrad L.Hall)is excellent. The pic is well directed by Jonathan Hensleigh. Rating: Above average. Well catching

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      While filming their knife fight scene, Thomas Jane accidentally stabbed Kevin Nash. Nash accepted cold beers from the film crew as compensation. Years later Jane described the incident saying, "What made it worse was that (Nash) was so nice about it. He just sat there, looked at the knife, looked at me, and shook his head."
    • 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

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 16, 2004 (Canada)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Czech
      • Hungarian
      • Danish
      • Spanish
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Le Punisher : Les liens du sang
    • Filming locations
      • Tampa, Florida, USA
    • Production companies
      • Lionsgate
      • Marvel Enterprises
      • Valhalla Motion Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $33,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $33,810,189
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $14,000,000
      • Apr 18, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $54,700,105
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 4 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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