Looking Back at 2004’s Messy Origin Movie

The Punisher is a type of comedian e-book motion pictures that got here out in what some name a darkish interval for the style, after Blade (1998) and X-Males (2000), however earlier than we have been “rescued” by Batman Begins (2005) and the beginning of the MCU with Iron Man (2008). A majority of these movies have been nonetheless going by means of a progress interval, as studios tried to work with new budgets and increasing applied sciences whereas in search of what would promote, however that doesn’t imply there weren’t some gems in there, or no less than a film or two that was value watching. As an enormous fan of the Punisher comics, that’s what I’ve at all times taken from this 2004 try: a brand new strategy to the character that took a few of the greatest concepts of the time from the supply materials and tried to appreciate them in live-action. Not everybody agreed, however twenty years later I nonetheless really feel the identical: Thomas Jane’s outing because the character is a pleasing mess with some edge, an ungainly progress interval.

Most of us know the plot and don’t essentially have to see his origin once more, however The Punisher is a darkish story of revenge a few man who simply didn’t get the memo that he was alleged to die along with his household. This time, nonetheless, Frank Fortress is an FBI agent on his final undercover gig when the son of a strong crime lord is killed. It has at all times sat a bit odd with me that Fortress will get the entire blame for this incident when he was on the bottom pretending to be useless because it occurred. Why not go after the individuals who truly shot your child? I suppose the villains don’t at all times should be logical or present that stage of sense if we would like the plot to maneuver ahead. Howard Saint is upset about his underdeveloped offspring’s demise, and the mom is much more vengeful, claiming that Frank’s complete household must undergo for it. As a substitute of the everyday story the place it’s solely the spouse and child who get mowed down, the villains wipe out nearly all of his bloodline. I’m certain there’s that one uncle who’s elated he couldn’t get off work for that reunion. Now, after nearly dying along with his family members, Fortress is reborn, healed, and able to make his assailants pay, however he isn’t simply going to kill them in chilly blood. That is private.

“Go along with God.” “God’s going to take a seat this one out.”

Personally, I get pleasure from Thomas Jane as Frank Fortress as a result of he picked up on the angle and massaged that into one thing that match the script he was given to work with. He turned the position down at first, refusing the supply a few instances, however director Jonathan Hensleigh and producer Avi Arad have been decided he was the correct selection and he was additionally swayed by seeing the artwork of Tim Bradstreet for the character. These items are glorious. Jane put a number of effort into the gig, gaining nearly twenty kilos of muscle and coaching with Navy SEALs, which reveals, and he additionally took his licks throughout filming, receiving a number of minor accidents. He performs Punisher quiet, intense, and passionate in his dedication. Jane might not bodily be precisely what’s anticipated from the character, however there are a number of scenes the place he carries himself prefer it.

Howard Saint is a unique story, as he isn’t the perfect villain, and lots of have been in all probability hoping for somebody a bit higher to assist ‘create’ the vigilante. John Travolta appears to be coasting in some scenes, however there are moments the place his viciousness shines by means of. He was by no means an enormous risk to Fortress himself, however an indication of the evil males may do and the way energy and cash could possibly be an enormous opposition. Saint is extra of a risk to his personal folks than to Frank, however he additionally makes for a stable mob-adjacent foe who has grown too highly effective and overstepped his boundaries. Travolta is serviceable for the position, however I can’t think about that there weren’t higher decisions for the actor and writing right here.

There are a lot of different minor characters and recognizable actors right here, I’ve at all times been keen on Will Patton as Quentin Glass, Kevin Nash as The Russian, and though transient, it by no means hurts to see Roy Scheider. Frank’s household doesn’t stick round lengthy, however they’re there together with the varied members of the felony group, and Fortress makes a couple of new associates. Some folks don’t like this facet of the story, however I feel it helps add to his characterization, seeing how he treats those that aren’t criminals, who’re even keen to be tortured for him (that’s why he leaves them that cash). Although, seeing as Joan Rebecca Romijn) and Dave (Ben Foster) are each former X-Males – Mystique and Angel – I’m shocked they didn’t assist out a bit extra.

The script is fascinating, to say the least. It takes from “Welcome Again Frank” and “The Punisher: 12 months One,” each nice tales, and lots of parts from them might be seen on this adaptation. The unique draft needed to be re-written a number of instances, nonetheless, at one level it concerned a model of the Battle Van, Microchip, and even Jigsaw, however the director felt these inclusions sophisticated issues. Then got here the funds issues, as Hensleigh solely acquired simply over half of the cash he requested for. This meant that a number of massive scenes needed to be reduce, some components of the plot needed to be revamped, and the motion was reduce down barely. The movie was set in Florida as an alternative of Punisher’s ordinary searching grounds of New York, because the studio was satisfied they might get extra bang for his or her buck utilizing Tampa as a location, even when the climate was an issue. Some additionally imagine that Travolta was a part of the rationale this occurred as properly, residing within the state on the time and eager to fly his private airplane to wherever they have been capturing. I don’t thoughts the locale shift, nevertheless it does really feel odd at first.

The opposite huge downside is the tonal shifts within the film, however a part of that appears to come back from earlier variations of the script being modified a lot. Among the darker and critical components have been changed by makes an attempt at odd character moments, darkish humor, and comedian e-book aesthetics, with a couple of of the reviled choices coming straight from the comedian however not translating properly (sure, the popsicle scene). Worse to me nonetheless is the flaming-car cranium calling card. We simply noticed The Rock pull that one off higher along with his Wrestlemania XL entrance, and I nonetheless discover Fortress’s try at it to be overdramatic and pointless (until somebody was set as much as take aerial pictures).  

Some folks discover the hearth hydrant to be worse, however how Frank offers with the Saints earlier than his ultimate assault is considered one of my favourite components of the writing. Fortress may have simply killed all of them off one after the other, slowly, risked them going to floor, however he additionally needed to make the individuals who killed his household undergo. He disrupted their cash, tousled their work relationships, after which had Howard Saint brutally kill his greatest buddy and spouse (too unhealthy he adopted these murders up with puns), simply across the time the film nearly makes us really feel for them. This can be a man with a army mindset who’s calculated, he breaks folks down, ruins them, makes them activate one another, and ultimately, he takes the whole lot from them, even driving off in Harry Heck’s automobile. Frank doesn’t simply kill Saint, however ties him to the automobile and sends his enemy right into a sea of explosions, a torturous coffin of fireplace that hardly makes up for what he did.

I really like that he doesn’t even appear proud of that. Frank Fortress is useless, that’s what we hear a number of instances within the movie, even from him. That is an origin story about him discovering out who the Punisher is. Ultimately, he isn’t glad and nearly kills himself, having executed what he sat out to perform, pondering there’s nothing else earlier than he realizes that there’s extra work on the market for the individual he has simply change into. Certain, the child giving him the shirt was tacky, however now the image has a stronger connection, and it means one thing to him and can come to be feared by his enemies.

At two hours and 4 minutes, it’s laborious to not assume that the start is a little bit gradual, however I like what they’re constructing. The Fortress household bloodbath caught with me for some time, though he does this odd little shuffle on the finish when approaching the our bodies of his useless spouse and little one. It’s an homage to the identical scene within the first Mad Max movie and it made the regular burn as much as his revenge really feel proper. Within the meantime, we noticed Harry Heck and that struggle with The Russian, performed by Kevin Nash, who was legitimately stabbed by the butterfly knife on account of a prop mishap, however everybody purchased him beers afterward for pushing by means of. That struggle was surprisingly set to some opera, however stays entertaining, whereas there have been different savage executions, just like the knife by means of the chin kill. A couple of of the extra ugly moments needed to be re-edited, like the top of the struggle with The Russian and the paper cutter scene, all to appease the MPAA, who wasn’t proud of the extent of violence.

The film didn’t do too properly in theaters, in all probability as a result of it was a rated R comedian e-book adaptation and somebody determined to launch it in opposition to Kill Invoice: Vol 2. Nevertheless, it will make cash on DVD and obtain an prolonged reduce, including nearly 17 minutes again in, which encompasses a scene from the unique script that needed to be reduce as a result of funds, right here in an animated kind. It additionally reinserts the sub-plot with Frank’s companion, Jimmy Weeks (Russell Andrews), which provides extra weight to the story and helps a few his choices make sense. The soundtrack additionally bought some folks on the movie, with tracks like “Damaged” and “In Time” making a splash.

Seeing that shot on the finish with Frank on the bridge, doing his narration, left me wanting extra and nonetheless does. We nearly bought that within the type of a direct sequel that may have featured Jane’s Punisher going up in opposition to Jigsaw, with Rob Zombie hooked up to direct at one level, however that by no means occurred, everybody deserted the undertaking, and the blame was placed on Lionsgate. As a substitute, this undertaking grew to become the rebooted Punisher: Conflict Zone, which is its personal beast.

As somebody who preferred what Jane did with Frank Fortress, I’m glad he went on to voice the character within the 2005 The Punisher online game and reprised his position within the quick movie, The Punisher: Soiled Laundry. This film is a wierd melting pot, one which I’d have beloved to see the unique imaginative and prescient of, however what followers acquired was such an fascinating combine that by no means goes too darkish and is simply violent sufficient to not be for everybody. It’s an origin story that tries to discover the character and entertain with motion, coming so near the goal, however simply lacking the headshot.