The Punisher (Extended Cut) dvd movie.|
The Punisher (Extended Cut) buy bestselling dvd movies, videos find reviews, ratings, prices |
 |
List Price: $19.98 Our Price: $14.99 You Save: $4.99 Features • Closed-captioned • Color • Dolby • DTS Surround Sound • DVD-Video • Special Edition • Subtitled • Widescreen • NTSC In Theaters : 16 April, 2004 DVD Release : 21 November, 2006 |
| [ + Zoom ] [ Buy Now ] | DVD : Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
|
| ♥♥♥♥♥ | NOT A PUNISHMENT TO WATCH |
| One of the most violent characters seen in comics came to life in 1989 and was blown off of the screen. The reasons were obvious. It was a film made for comic fans that completely left out everything that had made the character so popular with those same comic fans. The film quickly became the movie comic fans referred to when they discussed movies that didn't come close to doing their source justice.
All that is forgiven with the release of the new version. Bypassing just a tad of the source material this time, we are given the story of Frank Castle (Thomas Jane), ex Special Forces soldier and undercover FBI agent who has just retired. His last assignment led to the death of a criminal purchasing illegal guns. The problem is that this same criminal's father, Howard Saint (John Travolta), is a powerful money launderer for a Cuban cartel. And he wants revenge for the death of his youngest son. At a family reunion in Puerto Rico, Castle's entire family is murdered by Saint's men. Everyone from his father and mother to his wife and child. Castle is also left for dead, shot three times. But with the help of a friend, he survives with one thing on his mind. Revenge. Moving to Tampa where Saint is centered, Castle begins disturbing Saint's operations. Everything from stealing the money he was to launder to having Saint's men dump it from the high rise where they are counting it. Each act angers Saint more until he finally sends out for assistance from professionals. Each of these is greeted with Castle's ultra violent and passion filled hatred. All that is until Frank finds his way to Saint himself. Along the way Castle makes a few friends of the neighbors in his low level apartment: a cooking expert (John Pinnette), a computer geek (Ben Foster) and a lovely waitress with boyfriend problems (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos). These become his surrogate family. The movie sets up what could become a series not only by giving us the background story of Frank Castle, The Punisher, but by showing a human side to him as well. In the comic's early days, the character was little less than an assassin (thinking back to his original appearance in Spider Man). But the grief that led to his decision to take on organized crime, the pain he endured at the loss of his family, all are given as much attention here as the non-stop action and violence. While at first many were concerned with the selection of Jane to portray this sacred comic character, he turns in a great performance and the appearance as well. The comics offered a dark haired, dark complected, tall, foreboding, stern faced killer. Bigger and darker actors were thought to be better for the part, since Jane had been seen as blonde in most everything previous. But they not only make him look the part, he absorbs it as well. Travolta is here but it feels like he has far too little screen time. What he does when on screen is fantastic, offering us a maniacal money mover with power to spare and anger as huge. The movie may not be one that younger viewers can handle, but fans of the comic and those not yet exposed will love it. Forget the comic and you still have a great movie that delivers everything that trailer led us to believe we would see. Watching THE PUNISHER is no punishment. It just leaves you waiting to see the next installment. |
|
|