The Punisher

Based on the Marvel Comics character, The Punisher follows Thomas Jane’s Frank Castle as he embarks on a campaign of revenge after a fearsome mafia boss (John Travolta’s Howard Saint) orders the execution of Frank’s entire family. Filmmaker Jonathan Hensleigh, working from his and Michael France’s screenplay, does a terrific job of initially luring the viewer into the proceedings and establishing the central conflict between Jane and Travolta’s respective characters, as the movie boasts an appropriately gritty feel that’s enhanced by Hensleigh’s go-for-broke, no-punches-pulled sensibilities. (Castle’s entire extended family is brutally gunned down by Saint’s goons, after all.) It’s disappointing to note, then, that The Punisher subsequently segues into a meandering and mostly uninvolving midsection focused on elements of a decidedly underwhelming variety, as Hensleigh’s decision to emphasize Frank’s encounters with his oddball neighbors and ongoing attempts at messing with Travolta’s figure ensures that the second half peters out long before the violent climax arrives – which, despite the efforts of a strong cast, does cement the picture’s place as an egregiously hit-and-miss adaptation in need of serious streamlining.

** out of ****