Critic Reviews
Punisher, The (2004) Rank 3 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (318) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Reviews by Score:
The Horror Review (Horror Bob)
Baltimore City Paper (Bret McCabe)
DVD Review e-zine
San Francisco Chronicle (Carla Meyer)
UpcomingDiscs.com (David Annandale)
MovieWeb (Justin Case)
Bullz-Eye.com
“The Punisher” is the darkest Marvel adaptation yet, with more violence and action in a single scene alone than most of the other films. Castle is idealistically more like a Batman-figure, with realistic weapons and an emotional past that the ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Bullz-Eye.com
DVDActive (Brett Anderson)
A good little DVD to pick up, if given the chance. Perhaps worth a rental before deciding to buy it or not. Most of the down sides to this movie are easy to overlook, and the more you watch it, the more you see to like about it. A nice addition to the ...read the complete Punisher movie review at DVDActive (Brett Anderson)
Words From Here
Skiewed and Reviewed (Gareth J. Von Kallenbach)
A gripping urban action film that finally does justice to the comic. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Skiewed and Reviewed (Gareth J. Von Kallenbach)
Bangin' Banana (Joe Marchese)
BumsCorner.com
UTK Daily Beacon (John Carruthers)
Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)
Film Monthly (Gary Schultz)
The Boston Phoenix
Digital Monkey Box DVD Review
Movie Roundtable
DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
BeyondHollywood.com
DVD Authority.com (Kat)
DVD Times Review (Tiffany Bradford)
filmcritic.com
Comingsoon.net
CultureDose.net (Lee Chase IV)
Hollywood Jesus Visual Reviews
Entertain Your Brain! - Review
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
While I am a comic book fan, and I have collected many issues of Marvel's "The Punisher" and some of its offshoot titles, I do feel that the character's limitations make it a weak choice for a big screen adaptation. The main reason? Frank Castle ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Comingsoon.net
Filmjudge.ca Review
Movie House Commentary
Cinema Signals by The Filmiliar Cineaste
Blunt Review (Emily Blunt)
In The Punisher you'll find a kind of Gotham-styled urban-hued Deathwish-y story, welded to a rich chromium frame of comic book anti-heroes and logic. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Blunt Review (Emily Blunt)
Denver Post (Michael Booth)
Hensleigh, co-writer with Michael France, makes the paint-by-numbers of organized-crime movies look fresh by tapping good actors and sleek camera work. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Denver Post (Michael Booth)
Palo Alto Weekly (Tyler Hanley)
Although the character's methods may not be admirable, Jane's execution is perfect. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Palo Alto Weekly (Tyler Hanley)
Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
Although the concept is old, The Punisher puts some clever variations on the vigilante theme. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Aisle Seat (Mike McGranaghan)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Laudably exposes the dark core of the human heart. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt)
"The Punisher" has a fresh setting — Tampa, which, I guess, is why everyone has toxic tans — and it pays tribute to its Marvel Comics origins by sending a cartoonishly large number of goons at the Punisher (every mesomorph in Hollywood is in ...read the complete Punisher movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt)
Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
While Hensleigh's film is faithful to its source, quoting it freely, it feels more like a flesh-and-blood Peckinpah movie than another filmed comic. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Blogcritics - DVD review (Matt Paprocki)
Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
The most entertaining scenes focus on the lovable louts and losers who share the boardinghouse where the protagonist - based on a comic-book character billed as a superhero without superpowers - prepares his grisly exploits. The rest is mayhem. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
USA Today (Mike Clark)
Trashy and disturbingly violent yet fairly zippy and amusingly cast. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at USA Today (Mike Clark)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Among the recent spate of comic-book movies, from "Spider-Man" to the "X-Men," The Punisher is unique. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Cinema em Cena (Pablo Villaça)
EDGE Boston (David Foucher)
Sleek, sexy, savage and entirely too serious about itself… that’s “The Punisher” in a nutshell… but three out or four ain’t bad. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at EDGE Boston (David Foucher)
The Movie Chicks
Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) was tough in the Special Forces and as an undercover FBI agent, but nothing prepares him to deal with the pain he suffers when a ruthless criminal, Howard Saint (John Travolta), loses his son in a sting operation and ...read the complete Punisher movie review at The Movie Chicks
Movieman's Guide to the Movies (Kushmeer Farakhan)
Marvel Comics' cinematic death grip on comic book based films continues with a big screen adaptation of the company's gun toting vigilante anti-hero, The Punisher. This is the 2nd attempt Marvel has made at bringing the character into three dimensional ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Movieman's Guide to the Movies (Kushmeer Farakhan)
Movieman's Guide to the Movies
After reading all the reviews and seeing the critics trash it, I honestly expected The Punisher to be on the level of Daredevil in terms of how bad it would be. The trailers weren't all that great to me either. But I definitely thought the film was ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Movieman's Guide to the Movies
Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Among the recent spate of comic-book movies, from Spider-Man to the X-Men, The Punisher is unique. In 1974, Marvel Comics came up with the character of Frank Castle, a loner bent on vengeance. No one cared that Frank had no secret identity or ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
DVD Talk (Ian Jane)
Lion's Gate has given The Punisher a nice DVD presentation. They audio and video are good and the extras are interesting. Those of you out there who, like me, fondly remember the days Spaghetti Westerns or the action films of the eighties should enjoy ...read the complete Punisher movie review at DVD Talk (Ian Jane)
Palo Alto Online (Tyler Hanley)
Thomas Jane as Frank Castle in The PunisherEver since Michael Keaton donned the cape and cowl in Tim Burton's Batman (1989), relatively unfamiliar faces have succeeded in ably portraying comic-book superheroes. Aussie actor Hugh Jackman transformed ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Palo Alto Online (Tyler Hanley)
Perth Sunday Times
FilmFocus.Co.UK (Joe Utichi)
A superhero with more emphasis on the "hero" than the "super." My sort of guy. For once - no radioactive spider bites, no mysterious vision enhancement, no spaceship, no mutation; just a guy on a mission. With a cool ...read the complete Punisher movie review at FilmFocus.Co.UK (Joe Utichi)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Not great, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been, thanks to an occasionally witty script and strong performances from Jane and Travolta.Marvel Comics are on something of a roll at the moment – still high on the success of the Spider-Man and ...read the complete Punisher movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Almost Fabulous Movie Reviews
Teleport City Cinematics
ninth symphony films
Scifilm (Matthew Kidd)
Movie Matt's Reviews
CultureDose.net (Chris Madsen)
366 Days, 366 Movies (Zeb Navarro)
DVD Town (Dean Winkelspecht)
CinemaBlend.com
Moviepie.com
Ahh! I loved The Punisher! I knew I would love it from the first time I saw the trailer, but was too embarrassed to ask anyone to go see it with me at the theater. We've all been Jean Claude Van Dammed so many times that it's hard to hold out much hope ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Moviepie.com
Blackfilm.com
With superheroes coming to the big screen left and right nowadays, you would like to think that the stories and the action would only get better. Marvel Comics have benefited with the success of Spiderman and both X-Men films. Most of these superheroes ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Blackfilm.com
RevolutionSF (Joe Crowe)
Movie Criticism for the Retarded
DVD Town (Hock Guan Teh)
Pulp Culture (Franklin Harris)
MovieFreak.com (Rachel Sexton)
7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)
Movie-Vault.com (Mark Chua)
The World's Greatest Critic! (J.C. Maçek III)
IndependentCritics.com (Jacob Hall)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
CineScene.com (Tom Spurgeon)
Right before the credits, the Punisher stops on a bridge to stand outside his car and pose, for no particular reason except to violently think through his raison d'etre. It's not exactly Sanjuro, or even Heroic Trio, but I like the idea, and I hope no ...read the complete Punisher movie review at CineScene.com (Tom Spurgeon)
DVD Up Close (Sandra Dozier)
Guess the Gross
Bangin' Banana (Glenn Giangrande)
Appreciating Great Trash
The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
Movie Criticism for the Retarded
Frank's Reel Reviews
The Gline DVD review
film geeks - DVD Review
Moving Pictures @ Cin3ma
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews (Harry Knowles)
The Times (James Christopher)
filmdeculte.com (Robert Hospyan)
Movieman's Guide to the Movies (Gladiator)
Movieman's Guide to the Movies (xmenfan)
The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
Unlike some of its recent ilk – "Spider-Man," for example – The Punisher is, no disrespect, a thoroughly morose and bilious affair. That is precisely what I like best about it. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
Movie Marshal (Chris Cappola)
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
eFilmCritic Reviews
eFilmCritic (Scott Weinberg)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
hybridmagazine.com
Metroactive (Richard von Busack)
DVD Verdict (David Johnson)
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian (Johnny Donaldson)
...a thuggish and junky vigilante cartoon... ...read the complete Punisher movie review at The Massachusetts Daily Collegian (Johnny Donaldson)
Cinemaphile.org (David Keyes)
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
MovieFreak.com (Sara M. Fetters)
Sci-Fi-London (Cormac Donnelly)
Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Weekly Reviews (Nathan Weinbender) - Capsule
I Viddied it on the Screen (Alex Jackson)
Toon Zone (Desslar)
Mediasearch, Australia
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Reel.com DVD review (James Plath)
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
"An unrelenting assault on good taste and intelligence." ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Chart Magazine
Reel.com (Tim Knight)
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Film Freak Central
Black Flix (Laurence Washington)
Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Considering the horrible buzz that had dogged the movie since its trailers first premiered, The Punisher turns out to be a likable underdog. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)
The Punisher punishes. That's what he does, and that's all this movie does. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)
Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
Essentially, "The Punisher" turns John Travolta into a diva. If he weren't in a suit, he'd be in "Connie & Carla." ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Bangor Daily News (Maine) (Christopher Smith)
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
From "Death Wish" to "Commando", the story of one well-trained man seeking revenge against those that have hurt or killed his family is far from new. Every action hero star has done a film like this, hell half the direct to video ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Steve Rhodes <Steve.Rhodes@internetreviews.com>
CallThe Punisherwhat you will—and it richly deserves most of it—sadistic, uneven, misanthropic, homophobic, homoerotic, and wooden but it's inventively sadistic, uneven, misanthropic, homophobic, homoerotic, and wooden.Like a bumpy ride in the ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Steve Rhodes <Steve.Rhodes@internetreviews.com>
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
The Punisher doesn't rise to the top of an ever-growing, comic-book movie heap. ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
CineFile : il Cinema in Rete (Alberto Cassani)
The Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
ToxicUniverse.com (Lee Chase IV)
The Punisher is a movie with a good bit to admire, and just as much to frown upon. It looks as if the director, Jonathan Hensleigh, wanted to have the movie do too many different things, and felt he could make it work by mixing the ...read the complete Punisher movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (Lee Chase IV)
The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
It's not as easy to turn a comic book into a movie as you might think, even though comics and illustrated novels are closer to cinema in conception than any other art form. But as this second attempt to turn the story of comic hero The Punisher into a ...read the complete Punisher movie review at The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
This is not a very good movie, but it's fun -- intentionally, and not. Rather consistently uneven, the direction strays from comic-book-esque, to quite somber/serious/grotesque, to comedic, and back again. The dialogue too dips and levels from quick ...read the complete Punisher movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
Boston Herald (David Brudnoy)
Arrow in the Head ("The Arrow")
User Reviews
by Sexy Bachelor on October 11, 2009
If you've been a victim of crime and injustice, you'd LOVE this ...
by Cute Chihuahua on October 01, 2009
This movie is about an FBI agent who basically has his entire family murdered in by a enemy. After the police fail to bring the criminals to justice, he is out for blood and decides to take matters into his own hands. If you like action movies then this ...
by Lotus Flower "mov... on May 05, 2009
What can I say...action...action...action...great plot..hunk.Thomas Jane!! This is probably not the best movie for the children, but if you like to see the evil, rich and powerful that do evil get it, this IS the movie. He does not get revenge.. he ...
by Jade Sable "Kat" on May 04, 2009
I have never read the Punisher comics but I love dark and nitty gritty movies and this movie has become one of my favorites. This is the kind of movie that you can really identify with the 'antihero' and can trump lots of those ethical debates over ...
by Marilyn Assenheim... on April 15, 2009
Lots of fun, a rollicking body count, good action and a bit of humor. What more could one ...
by Keith Solano on March 17, 2009
This one is great... love all of the comic movies so for... would recommend this one... teens and adult viewing only little too much violence for little ones... ...
by Louise Gentry on February 02, 2009
im new to blu-ray i noticed the cases are a little smaller than regular dvd's.This came packed very well and was new cant beat the ...
by Travis B on January 09, 2009
The Punisher, despite many neutral to negative reviews is--what I believe at least...An Excellent Movie. I Give it 5 stars, its not perfect though. 5 Stars Isnt as Broad as a 10 Scale, I'd give it an 8.5 to 9 In that case. The Punisher is the story of a ...
by Jayme L. Tschanz on January 06, 2009
The video I ordered as a Christmas present came quickly and in plenty of time for the ...
by Tony Medero on October 03, 2008
Well, I am totally biased here on this movie. It was filmed in my hometown of Tampa. I still think it's an excellent movie though. Besides "The Dark Knight", this is my favorite comic book movie so far. I like the darkside of it. ...
User Comments
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! My Web
Facebook
Google Bookmarks
ma.gnolia
Newsvine
reddit
Windows Live
