The Punisher

After his family is murdered, a former undercover agent (Thomas Jane) vows revenge on the mobster (John Travolta) responsible.

The Punisher starts so well. Sure, it strays from the comic book origin, and in doing so eliminates one of the core themes of the Punisher mythos (that no one is safe from random violence), but the movie picks up such a head of steam that you easily overlook this while you’re watching it.

We meet Frank Castle and watch as not only his wife and child—but indeed his whole family—is murdered in front of him; all building the audience’s bloodlust and then… nothing.

There’s no punishment! That’s right, no punishment. Instead we watch as Frank sits around his apartment drinking, hatches a far-fetched scheme involving fire hydrants, and mugs for a spot on the evening news. Given that this movie was targeted at an “R” rating there’s really no excuse for the incredibly toned-down character presented here, especially since the screenwriters pillaged writer Garth Ennis’s classic Punisher stories.

In the end, the much-maligned 1989 Dolph Lundgren version is actually a better adaptation and that’s just sad.