Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

torenkneedler When people go to see a movie they like to expernice a whole part of life which is what the punisher doesthe film fallows thomas jane punisher seeking revenge against howard saint for the death of his family which kind of leads to nasty rusultsand one of them is the crazy russian who attempts to kill castle but fails in cunclsion the punisher feels like a good moviewhile also staying true to R rated movies like logan and deadpool so yeah the punisher is a feel good movieand it allows the viwers to be taken into frank personality

generationofswine It wasn't bad, at least it wasn't as bad as the critics say, and let's face it, the Punisher is a pretty hard thing to translate into film. It has to walk that line between comic book movie, mafia movie, and serial killer movie and that is a hard line to follow.Punisher: War Zone leaned far too much towards the comic book angle and the film really stank because of it.The Punisher 1990 found that balance, but it did it in only the way a B-movie in the 1990s could.The Punisher 2004 tried to find it, but it got lost somewhere in the shuffle. What it got instead was a little too jumbled to be really good.For starters it suffered from origin syndrome. People walking into a movie like The Punisher already know the origin story. They know it as well as they know Captain America, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four, so for the comic book audience, which is probably the majority of viewers, a big part of the plot is revealing something that we already know is going to happen. We are forced to watch it all ply out before we can get to the plot.Conversely, those walking in completely fresh can easily be told the origin in a less painful way for Punisher fans.Besides the movie already got a solid "R" rating, there is no way you can show how Frank actually became the Punisher and keep it under NC-17 for violent content.In the case of the Punisher, the origin is something we'd all rather be told than shown. No one wants to watch that, even when you cut away to keep it rated R, we still don't want to see it.So the first chunk of a movie is a set up to watch children get murdered, and then we finally get into the story.Where the movie wins is the blood and violence. They keep it adult action movie enough to stay true to the Punisher comics. it wins out there and does it with a stylistic tone that helps redeem the film.The only problem is you have to sit through the set-up, watch material you already know by heart, only to see the disgusting act of violence that pushes Frank over the edge before you get to the redeeming parts of the film...and by then it's a little too late to completely salvage it.

Leofwine_draca While the 1989 adaptation of the Marvel comic was a cheesy, action-packed, B-movie starring Dolph Lundgren, the 2004 is a big-bucks Hollywood blockbuster which stands as a great example of its kind. Instead of being clichéd and tired, THE PUNISHER kicks backside from beginning to end, charting an unlikely path between human drama, comedy and balls-to-the-wall action, and succeeding admirably. The first half-hour of the movie – which sets up the events which are to follow – is absolutely tragic, and had me reaching for the hankies on occasion; afterwards, the film turns into a dark vigilante thriller, very violent in places yet touching and funny in others. A witty script and excellent theme tune really help to add to the proceedings.Thomas Jane (who has never had his chance at the limelight before, after appearing as one-dimensional characters like the hero in DEEP BLUE SEA), is outstanding in the role, not only massively muscular, but a quality actor too. Bad guy duties go to the tag-team of Will Patton (who looks like Ron Perlman in BLADE II) as a sadist and John Travolta, overacting to the hilt and remaining utterly enjoyable, as only he can, as the family man/crime boss. Director Jonathan Hensleigh also elicits some very good roles to the supporting likes of the three actresses, Laura Harring, Rebecca Romijn, Samantha Mathis, and also Roy Scheider, who really has been away from our scenes too long. Finally, there's Ben Foster, who seems to be carving a path for himself with slightly psychotic characters, in this and HOSTAGE.Of course, this is an action flick at heart, and there are some great scenes. The climatic shoot-out, complete with bombs disguised as champagne bottles and a wicked bow and arrow, is top-notch stuff, and you've gotta love the car-dragging sequence which follows – how perfectly cinematic can you get? Meanwhile, the over-the-top (but yet so cool) battle between Jane and a hired Russian assassin is one of the most brutal and exciting I've witnessed. Also watch out for one of the most painful sequences put on film, which shows you don't need gore for effect – all I'll say is that it'll put you off piercings for life! All in all, THE PUNISHER is a dark and brooding action flick, expertly directed and with real style. Bring on the sequel.

dsaillant811 The Punisher is the first on-screen iteration (not counting that awful one from the 90s) of the titular ultraviolent Marvel character, starring Thomas Jane. This movie is a well-acted, well- directed revenge flick that's obviously dark and R-Rated, but also maintains a sense of fun and amusement. A fun, dark tone is a very rare thing in a revenge movie such as this. It's not full-on comedy like Deadpool and it's nowhere near as dark and brooding as the 2016 Jon Bernthal edition in season 2 of Marvel's Daredevil, but it's somewhere in between. This is worth a watch and certainly enjoyable, a worthy adaptation.