The Punisher

"There is no justice, there is only revenge."

2004 2h 4m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 3,301

ActionCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When undercover FBI agent Frank Castle's wife and son are slaughtered, he becomes 'the Punisher' -- a ruthless vigilante willing to go to any length to avenge his family.

“There is no justice, there is only revenge.”

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Cast

Thomas Jane
Frank Castle / The Punisher
John Travolta
Howard Saint
Will Patton
Quentin Glass
Roy Scheider
Frank Castle, Sr.
Laura Harring
Livia Saint
Ben Foster
Specker Dave
Samantha Mathis
Maria Castle
James Carpinello
Bobby Saint / John Saint

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Writers: Michael France, Jonathan Hensleigh, Ted Boonthanakit
Languages: English
Countries: Germany, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Germany, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Punisher Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

218+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, shot by Conrad W. Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carlo Siliotto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jeff Gullo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Thomas Jane and John Travolta and Will Patton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jonathan Hensleigh directs. Conrad W. Hall behind the camera. Carlo Siliotto scores. Jeff Gullo cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Germany, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 22 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: Germany, United States of America.
3Part of the "The Punisher Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4218+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, shot by Conrad W. Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Carlo Siliotto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jeff Gullo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Thomas Jane and John Travolta and Will Patton carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "There is no justice, there is only revenge.".
10IMDB entry: tt0330793 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "undercover", "submachine gun", "chain", "superhero".

The technical file

Cinematography: Conrad W. Hall
Original score: Carlo Siliotto
Editing: Jeff Gullo
Production design: Michael Z. Hanan
Costume design: Lisa Tomczeszyn
Makeup / hair: Kathe Swanson
VFX supervisor: Gene Warren Jr.
Sound: Brad Sherman
Stunt coordinator: Gary Hymes
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $33,000,000
Box office: $54,700,105
Return: 166% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Punisher (2004)

Part of

The Punisher Collection

The Punisher is a vigilante who first appeared in Marvel comics in 1974 and has been the subject of several movies and tv shows.

Also by

Jonathan Hensleigh

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Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb440066252019-03-09
★ 3/10
Thomas Jane and John Travolta are good in this, but man is The Punisher one stupid movie. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief quite a bit but how is it a gangster assassin doesn't double tap and headshot their target when they have them at point blank? This mafia family soon proves to be one of the dumbest in all of gangster cinema, leaving their loved ones completely open to be followed by Frank Castle, falling for a really terrible manipulation scheme, and how did they find out where Frank Castle's apartment was? This is the kind of try-hard movie that Hollywood makes every so often when they have a revenge story script, an alpha-male protagonist, and all the rights to heavy metal tracks. It tries so hard to be cool and fails so spectacularly it's actually painful to watch.
The Movie Mob2023-02-11
★ 8/10
The Punisher avoids the comic book cheese of the era and grounds its story in a realistic revenge tale that fits the character perfectly. Jon Bernthal might have been the perfect actor to play the Punisher, but Thomas Jane was a close second. Rather than getting all wrapped up in the comic universe, The Punisher (2004) keeps its story contained in a more realistic world and focuses on the transformation of Frank Castle into the Punisher. The cast of this movie is filled with exceptional talent, and the plot is a carefully crafted revenge that unfolds as the film progresses, with an excellent payoff at the end. Some parts are cheesy and larger than life, but overall, the movie stays true to The Punisher's dark and grounded roots. Out of all the interpretations of The Punisher in films and shows over the years, this one is my favorite and the standard by which I compare every new Punisher.