The Punisher (2004)

★★★½
The Bride has some competition. Uma Thurman's character from Kill Bill: Volume 2 isn't the only one going on a revenge spree. The Marvel Comics hero The Punisher comes to the big screen once again (previously seen in a 1989 movie) and, like Spider-Man and Daredevil, he does so with a vengeance, literally. The movie is an explosively good time, but it doesn't settle for pyrotechnics to carry it. This is a strong character-driven film fueled by an intense performance by Thomas Jane and a surprisingly sadistic performance by John Travolta, in what is probably his best role since Pulp Fiction.

The whole revenge genre has seen its highs and lows. Death Wish and Enough are the better examples of what this genre can produce, but there are low points, like Vulgar. The Punisher ranks with the best. It's successful because the hero, Frank Castle, comes across as an average guy who gets mad… very mad. Sure, he's a former government agent with elite training—not really anything average about that—but his attitude, lifestyle and dreams are just like anyone else's. He has a dangerous job, but he always looks forward to returning home to his wife and son.

His latest bust involves the murder of gangster Howard Saint's (Travolta) son. Saint vows vengeance against Frank Castle (Jane), but his wife Livia (Laura Harring) won't be satisfied with just his death. She wants his entire family annihilated. Saint concurs, so she sends his hitmen down to Puerto Rico where the Castles are having a family reunion. In an unexpectedly shocking scene, the Castles (around 20 or so) are killed, with Frank barely surviving a gunshot to the chest and an explosion.

Five months later, Frank returns to Tampa Bay to clean up the city. Specifically, he wants revenge against Howard Saint and his network of hired guns. Using whatever few resources he has, he collects a number of weapons and hides away in a rundown apartment. Just down the hall are curious neighbors Joan (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), Spacker Dave (Ben Foster) and Bumpo (John Pinette), who invite the alcoholic and depressed Castle over for dinner in a cheerfully awkward scene. Taking the law into his own hands, Castle begins a chain of guerilla tactics to send a message to Saint. He's back.

Saint isn't a one-dimensional bad guy. The film is as interested in him as it is in Castle. Saint runs an outwardly legitimate business as a bank owner, but his clients are shady gangster types. His right-hand man is Quentin Glass (Will Patton). He is extremely overprotective of his family and considers Quentin to be like a brother. Castle uses Saint's own regard for his family against him, as he cleverly plants evidence for Saint to follow. As the plan moves forward, Saint grows more distressed and his reaction to both Quentin and Livia is startling.

The fact that the screenplay, by Michael France and Jonathan Hensleigh, gives the hero and villain such depth is an added bonus to an already exciting story. I could see how I might like this movie if it was just an exercise in action, but seeing such fully realized characters brings added strength for the plot to support itself. When Frank Castle goes on his final rampage, it isn't a climax for salivating action junkies, but rather the culmination of the two fathers' deep-seeded dedication to their families.

Thomas Jane is dark and brooding as The Punisher, and that's how it should be. He feels he's justified in what he does, but he gets no joy from it. He doesn't take on his duties with honorable intentions. He's a guy at the end of his rope who resorts to extreme payback to punish the wrongdoers. The Punisher is far more violent than fellow Marvel adaptations like Hulk and X2, but it's more grounded in reality. The Punisher has no superpowers. He relies more on his brain and determination. Those are two weapons that bad guys should fear just as much as web-slinging.

© 2004 Silver Screen Reviews