I'm glad you all liked it so much. I did not.

I just rented and saw it and I was SO surprised!! I had heard that everything about this movie screamed flat and terrible. I thought it was quite perfect for what it was..a revenge flick. This harkened back to all the great ones.."The Road Warrior", etc. It was so well done and at times poignant. Thomas Jane was not flat in this role or cardboard like I had heard. He was simply a man repent with emotion who kept it bottled and let loose on the ones who should have paid.

John Travolta was not even close to over the top as some have said. I thought he was very understated and def did not overwhelm the movie. It was truly father against father and the extreme measures they go to.
The angst was palpable, the tension very clearly defined and the action scenes done in just the right way to feel for Frank and to feel he is doing right. It wasn't over the top (due to budget I presume) and that made them so much more real and appreciated.

I really liked this film, really liked a lot...big surprise!!

Plus NO CGI!!!!!!!!! All real stunts!

great movie, im a little surprised at how violent the movie was. especially when and that it avoided alot of the potential camp.

If this movie was a PG13 people would have bitched to high hell.

There's no way this film could ever have been PG-13. It just wouldn't work.

And yes, the real stunts and lack of over the top scenes (except for that car park scene) really made it an awesome ride.

I have been a fan of the Punisher comics since I was like 12...and I was afraid of this movie...and couldn't find anyone to go see it with me in the theater, cause everyone said it blew...

They couldn't have been more wrong. It was old school action - no cgi crap, good stunts, and a straight on story. Jane was a true embodiment of the character from the comics, and Travolta was...just Travolta. I heard a lot of people say he was over the top as well, and he really wasn't. He was just ruthless without cause. which is fine.

I really thought this was a solid film, and given it's budget, who can complain. The homage to films past and the little western style showdowns were a treat too. I can't wait for part 2...

Was The Punisher supposed to be a slapstick comedy? After the death of his entire family, I was laughing nearly continuously throughout the rest of the movie, especially when he was fighting the Russian, and when supposed trained killers standing 2 feet away with a shotgun shoot him in his vest covered chest, TWICE, instead of in the head . To me, this film was much like House of the Dead. It was so far off the mark that I thoroughly enjoyed it .

@ everyone complaining about him surviving the shooting.

Yes, it was unrealistic, but so where all those good old spaghetti westerns that this movie was obviously paying homage to. The lone gunman, "left for dead" (and as we all know, no one "left for dead" ever dies) and out for revenge for his murdered family, has to go against the corrupt marshal/cattleman/mayor and his gang of thugs. The Punisher isn't going to win any awards for originality, but I thought it was fun to see that classic revenge saga updated one more time.

Terrible movie. Awkwardly plotted and dreadfully directed, with a sense of pacing and editing that is completely askew. The acting ranges from acceptable (Jane) to unbearably awful (almost everybody else.)

On the plus side, it has Laura Elena Harring in a tight dress.



Makes it at least worth a rental.

Having re-watched it last night, I have come the following conclusion:

-Thomas Jane obviously understood the character of Frank Castle and played him really well. It was the writers who didn't seem to succeed that well. One could tell that they were going for the more recent tone created by Garth Ennis, and several scenes and moments looked as if they had his fingerprints on them. However, the credited writers failed to realize that The Punisher was never about mind games and clever ploys, he was merely about shooting his way out of any situation. A true Punisher movie would have had him taking out Travolta and his family in the first 45 minutes and then follow him from city to city as he faces different baddies.
Overall, not a great comic book movie, but done with some level of competence and it didn't reek of Hollywood tinkering all the way through like DareDevil. I decided to keep the DVD and add it to my collection of Marvel movie adaptations, of which I own all, despite the lackluster effect of some. Why? because I am a comic book completist to the last.

Marvel movies!

Enjoyable movie. Really tuned into the whole 80's revenge flick style. I liked seeing spacker dave in the movie.

I love this movie and so far everyone who's watched it with me since I bought it has really enjoyed it (though one of my mom's friends freaked out during the Dave/Quentin scene *l*).

Great revenge flick and I can't wait for the sequel.

Watched it last night with the wifey .....we both liked the movie quite a bit. Sure some parts were pure cheese but it's a comic book movie....

I'll pick it up when it goes on sale for sure

"I'm okay.... He's not."

Saint: "You killed my Son"

....BANG.....

Punisher: "Both of them."

CLASSIC!

That one gets me everytime, Get Me Coffee.

How about

Frank: "You look like a nice strong young man. This is a tactical antipersonel mine. Weighs only eight pounds. Not much"

Frank ties the chord to an overhead slab or something and places it, chord taught, on John's hand.

Frank: "But try holding it with an outstretched hand.... it's one hell of a workout."

Its one hell of a workout

-notrolls-

This movie definitely takes time to grow on you I guess. When I re-watched it, I enjoyed it more than the first time. I just disliked the whole need to have a stoney neighbor (though he was from the comics) and funny fatman. Too cliched for my taste.

You're gonna need to amend your sig, Rusty.

Just watched my DVD last night and I liked it It was very loyal to the comic with some great liners

I just love the quickdraw scenes.

Man, talk about a nice surprise. I bought this blind yesterday (got sick of waiting for it to become available at the video store) and have no complaints at all.

I normally hate comic book flicks but I've always liked the Punisher (and yes, I hated the first movie).

They did it right and kept it flowing nicely. The action scenes were nice and violent with only minimal comic book camp (not that there's anything wrong with that either, I wouldn't mind at all if they used more over the top action).

I'm very pleased with this film and I'm glad I bought it.