Director
Jonathan Hensleigh
Cast
Thomas Jane Frank Castle/The Punisher
John Travolta Howard Saint
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos Joan
Will Patton Quentin Glass
Roy Scheider Frank Castle Sr.
DVD Release Date: November 21, 2006
Rating: R
Running Time: 140 Minutes
The Movie
As much as I read comic books when I was a kid, now an adult I rarely flip through an issue. I really wish I could pick up some copies and start reading them again, but I neither have the time nor know which ones are best for novice readers. Something I do know is that I always enjoyed reading about the horrible life that plagued Frank Castle and caused him to turn into “The Punisher”.
I guess what always drew me to the Punisher was that he wore virtually all black, had a big skull on his chest, and became immersed in a life full of darkness. He wasn’t flashy nor did he wear some kind of multi-colored, bright costume to go and fight crime. Castle had his family taken from him so he fell back into the darkness and vowed to avenge their deaths by seeking revenge on any and everyone who had something to do with it.
Years ago, Dolph Lundgren starred in the role of Frank Castle and needless to say, that movie just plain sucked. Now Thomas Jane has stepped in and delivers a much better performance. He just seemed so much more believable as the Punisher; Jane appeared to fit, like he was always made for that role.
Castle performs the perfect transition in this movie from family man who had everything to loner without a friend in the world. When he was happy and still had his wife and child with him, he wore color-happy clothing and took walks along the beach. Then, as everything he had loved and worked for was taken from him, Castle’s life started to take a darker path. He wore all black and browns, sat in his apartment with minimal light, and silently learned to be a vengeful assassin.
This extended cut has close to twenty minutes added, and it honestly should have been the original film. Sure, it was already two hours, but an extra twenty minutes wouldn’t have killed anyone sitting in the theaters. Especially considering that the added footage doesn’t make the film drag, instead making it more enjoyable.
The Video
The film is seen in 16×9 Widescreen and looks good to me. The Punisher was always one of my favorite comic book characters because he wore all black and hung around in the shadows and dark places. Well, they were successful in creating the mood of a guy who lost his entire family and I like it.
The Audio
It’s heard in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and works well because there are plenty of explosions, gunshots, and fights to be heard.
Special Features
Making Of Featurette – Your basic “making of” featurette. Nothing much else to say about it except that it’s really short.
Animated Kuwait Deleted Scene – Kinda cool, but ehh.
The Punisher Comic Book Gallery – Very cool thing to have here. Comic book cover art of Punisher comic books from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s complete with plot synopsis.
Previews – Saw II Uncut, Reservoir Dogs SE, The Descent, See No Evil, and Saw III
The Inside Pulse
The movie is good. The movie was good without the added footage, but now it is even better. Yet, why was this DVD even necessary? There are so many less extras then the first release and it’s just not worth buying this one if you already have the other. If you don’t have either, take a long hard look at what both DVDs feature before making up your minds. Oh, did I mention that this version has one of the coolest looking DVD cases ever but one of the worst put together? Yeah, think about that too. No, just go with the first version.
