'The Punisher' hits theaters with guns blazing

By Chenel Josaphat
The Hoya

WASHINGTON (U-Wire) - Imagine a time when someone bumped into you on the street and left without saying "Excuse me." Now multiply that frustration by 5 million and you will feel maybe half the rage that is the lifeblood flowing through The Punisher. Based on the popular Marvel comic, The Punisher overcomes a host of potentially destructive formulaic components to result in a satisfying whole. This popcorn movie is a punishing picture that pulls no punches.

"The Punisher" is the first directing gig for long-time action writer Jonathan Hensleigh, who is credited with penning the blockbusters "Die Hard: With a Vengeance," "Jumanji" and "Armageddon." He also worked on "The Rock," "Con Air" and "Gone in 60 Seconds." With a pedigree like that, one would be hard-pressed to find someone better suited to bring to the screen the character of The Punisher; a vigilante with no power except an uncanny ability to cram an extraordinary amount of artillery in a confined space and no M.O. besides visiting punishment on the evildoers of the world.

In his first action role, Thomas Jane ("The Sweetest Thing," "Dreamcatcher") brings to life the character of Frank Castle. Castle is an undercover FBI agent who speaks six languages and came out of a counter terrorism unit (not unlike Jack Bauer of "24"). After one last drug bust, he retires from the field and plans to attend his first family reunion in five years and then move his family to London to settle down and live a normal life.

Unfortunately, during his last operation, Castle unknowingly causes the death of a relative of the powerful and corrupt banker Howard Saint (John Travolta). It goes without saying that Saint does not take this loss lightly and consequently sends men to mow down every member the Castle family in an act of retribution. Castle is left for dead but, as befits any badass, he "comes back from the dead" and isn't too pleased with what just transpired. About 50 guns, 100 explosives and one steel-plated car later, he is ready to punish those responsible for his family's massacre.

While surprisingly humorous and rife with covert movie references (the opera fight with "The Russian," who has more than a passing resemblance to the legendary James Bond villain Jaws, is reminiscent of a similar fight scene in "Moonraker"), the dialogue is nothing to marvel at when played straight.

Hackneyed statements like "I'm already dead" and "I'm not the kind of guy you're looking for" are littered incessantly throughout the movie. In terms of acting, the bad guys are played with such aplomb that it occasionally borders on ham -- with mixed results.

In a reference to "El Mariachi," Mark Collie as guitar-playing hit man Harry "Heck" Thornton is a delight to watch during his limited time onscreen. It would have been interesting to see his character fleshed out more. On the other hand, the Cuban brothers that seemingly control Saint are cardboard bad guys we have seen in too many movies already. Jane does an admirable job playing the overwhelmed Castle; before too long the audience dispenses all prior acknowledgment of a justice system and wants The Punisher to give Saint and his cronies their just deserts.

For the most part though, the film moves along at a quick pace and is full of action sequences. Within the first 15 minutes of the film there is a high-speed chase, multiple gunfights, bodies on fire, car crashes, threats and rumors of threats. It's a whole James Bond movie in one-tenth the time.

The movie becomes stale when Hensleigh attempts to add some kind of moral or romantic dimension to the story. But "The Punisher "works best when it plays like God of the Old Testament: The one known for righteous fury and the 10 plagues and not yet tempered with the loving teachings of the New Testament.

Hensleigh knows that the fans of the comic want to see a man take his bloody revenge by any means necessary and most of the time wisely gives the audience what it wants. Opening the same weekend as Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," "The Punisher" is a popcorn flick for fans who want to enjoy intense action without needing a 10-course degree in film history.