Movies: The Punisher

I never read "The Punisher" growing up. The character seemed fairly dull when compared to the various super-powered heroes blazing across the pages of other, more facile comics. So when I saw the film adaptation, I didn't have any biases or prejudices.

This is the rare example of an action movie that is almost killed by its ending. The vast majority of action movies end with some kind of climactic Final Showdown with the antagonist (Die Hard, Speed, Terminator 2, etc.), and "The Punisher" is no different. Unfortunately, the last fifteen minutes of the movie feature some of the most listless and boring fighting ever put to film.

Thankfully, there are some standout scenes in the movie, including a comical fight with Kevin Nash and the beach house massacre. Thomas Jane puts in a pretty good performance, and there's no CGI here - just good old practical effects. Rebecca Romijn looks good here and does a decent job, even without all that blue Mystique makeup. The package as a whole, though, feels woefully uneven and it's not a movie I'd watch again - even for free.

Rating: 6/10