The Punisher

Thomas Jane plays Frank Castle, an FBI agent whose family is targeted by crime boss Howard Saint. Surviving the attack leaves Castle with a new purpose: taking the fight to Saint himself. John Travolta plays the man he pursues in this 2004 film, directed by Jonathan Hensleigh.

Follow the way the film builds a confrontation around two men and the consequences of their choices. Castle's grief supplies the motive, but his campaign also raises a question about what remains when revenge becomes an organizing purpose. It is a darker viewing choice than a conventional superhero origin, with brutal violence at its center.

This film establishes its own version of Castle's loss and response. Start here for Thomas Jane's portrayal rather than completing another actor's Punisher story beforehand.

Begin here for Thomas Jane's film portrayal of Frank Castle. Punisher: War Zone offers Ray Stevenson's interpretation, while Marvel's The Punisher follows Jon Bernthal. The links below are ways to compare those portrayals; this guide does not ask you to treat the three casts as successive chapters of one viewing route.

This film is not on the current reviewed Doomsday preparation list. That is separate from its value as a film or a starting point.