To begin, I must confess that while I do love comic books and I have a somewhat expansive general knowledge, I have not read many of The Punisher's tales. Perhaps this is precisely the reason why this movie worked gangbusters with me. Other fans of Marvel's beloved anti-hero have complained that the setting was completely wrong and the film's tone was schizophrenic and takes itself too seriously one second and goofs off moments later.
In it's defense however, I would like to put forth these points:
a) It is based on a comic book filled with mausoleum humor one moment and spectacular violence the next, so why shouldn't this movie follow suite?
b) I also know that the setting of the comic books was mainly confined to the dirty streets and alleys of Detroit (somebody please correct me if I am wrong) while the movie itself is set in the sunny Tampa, Florida. Okay, perhaps Tampa is too glamorous, but once you take out the glitz and glam from any cosmopolitan city, there is a filthy underbelly beneath it. On top of that, it was Hensleigh's own decision to set it there, despite knowing fully that it was not The Punisher's city of punishment choice.
Additionally, I have heard other viewers complain that Frank Castle didn't go on a roaring rampage with guns and brawn in tow. There is a reason why he calls himself The Punisher and not The Executioner- he punishes, which means, in the case of the movie, he ruins lives before taking them, which is more of a punishment than just inflicting direct violence onto their person. In my eyes, the Castle in this adaptation is a bit like the Count of Monte Cristo- vengeance on his mind, justice in his heart, but in this case done in the style of Peckinpah and Leone.
In this movie, all of what you see is basically what you get- it's a revenge tale that proves that revenge is a dish best served hot and reeking of gun powder. What will more than likely strike you first (and rightly so) is The Punisher himself, Tom Jane. Say what you will about the other roles that you have seen him play, but his commitment to the character is fierce- the man lobbied for this role and when he got it, he didn't rest on his laurels. He worked out six days a week under a strenuous training regime and, pardon the pun, punished himself so that he was ready to roll. And boy does it show.
For the rest of the main cast, despite the archetype roles they have, they come off none the worse. Quite a few people have critisized Travolta's character for not being active enough when Castle is reaping fresh Hell upon his head. I can see where they are coming from because he always relied on his henchmen to protect him, but what you must also understand is that this Howard Saint character, and his harpy wife Livia (Laura Elena Harring) for that matter, are players, not fighters. They are the aloof Roman emperor and empress on top of a crime empire- they never felt the need to flourish a gun when they can flourish their checkbooks and bribe their way through a jam.
A standout supporting player I find in particular was Will Patton's low-key homosexual hitman. Patton is fantastic to watch, as he always is, and he manages to give his Quentin Glass a very ambiguous edge that could have fallen flat on it's face if a lesser character actor had assumed the reigns.
As for Castle's slum house roomies (the stoner, the token fat guy and the mousy
If I could complain about the character that Romijn plays though, she really needs to step off. She comes onto Castle and he's just lost his wife and child and tries to snog him. WOMAN. Give the man some space, I don't care how
As stated earlier, this movie sports scenes of incredible brutality one moment and slap-stick the next, and a scene where these two come together is the house demolition/fight between Castle and The Russian. In fact, I think this scene shares a lot in common with Van Damme taking on Iceburgh in Sudden Death! It's hilarious!
Now let's get some gripes out in front of the firing squad.
This movie for all of it's humour and charm was rank with plot holes. Where did Castle go after the untimely slaughter of his entire family? We saw a man pick him up in a boat, but where did they go, exactly? While Castle kept to himself while living in the slum apartment block, surely the tenants must he noticed the stuff he was working on (armoured car, anyone?). How come the Saint family proper had no idea where Castle had shacked himself up, but characters like The Russian and Quentin Glass did? And with all of this hell being wreaked on the Saint empire, surely the cops would have been called in at some point, even if they were on Saint's pay roll? And while I know I have previous defended this point, sometimes the comic slap-stick humour was a little too ridiculous: Castle tortures a lackey with an popsicle, making his victim think it's a blow torch. Come on- if you're gonna torture somebody, if it's only to make them scared, at least put their lives into some sort jeopardy rather than fuck with their minds. These sorts of hurdles are too major to be ignored, even for a comic film of this caliber.
That being said, I must say that The Punisher was great, calamitous fun that was done with tongue firm in it's cheek and hand on the trigger. It is not the perfect Punisher film that could possibly be made, but between you and me, I prefer this one over the Lundgren incarnation and Punisher: Warzone (with Ray Stevenson as Castle) that has been recently released. While Tom Jane may not have the brutal appearance of Lundgren and Stevenson, I believe he possesses the right character balance and determination to make the character a plausible one. I really hope he makes another one because all said and done, Hensleigh's work delivered ample merit to be turned into a potential franchise.
And here, ladies (and dudes). :D
No comments:
Post a Comment