The Punisher

Reviewed by:
Paul Ulane

The Punisher blasts into theaters to avenge his original direct-to-video appearance, packing a blustery attitude and banana clips to match. The punishing begins when Frank Castle (Thomas Jane), a retired FBI agent, witnesses his family mowed down by arms trafficker Howard Saint (a stiff John Travolta). With nowhere to turn, Castle takes it upon himself to scrag Saint and everyone close to him. The character’s comic book origins provide the perfect backbone for this ’80s-style action flick, amplifying Castle’s single-minded, isolationist resolve. As he outfits himself with heavy artillery, an unnecessary cast of subplot-peddling friends (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos most notably), and an unbelievably stereotypical cast of villains, it’s hard to deny the guilty pleasure of this adaptation that doesn’t take itself too seriously. With the promise of adults-only content, an R rating only aids the film, considering its pointless explosions and truckloads of inept villains powerless to dispatch our lone hero despite unlimited resources. This truly is the finest moviemaking 1984 has to offer.

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