Lions Gate Films
THE PUNISHER & PUNISHER: WARZONE
Starring Thomas Jane (Frank Castle), John Travolta (Howard Saint), Will Patton (Quentin Glass), Laura Harring (Livia Saint), and Rebecca Romijn (Joan), Ray Stevenson (Frank Castle), Wayne Knight (Microchip), and Dominic West (Jigsaw)
The Punisher Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh … Warzone Directed by Lexi Alexander
The Punisher Produced by Avi Arad and Gale Anne Hurd … Warzone Produced by Gale Anne Hurd with Kevin Feige
The Punisher Written by Jonathan Hensleigh and Michael France … Warzone Written by Nick Santora, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway
The Punisher Music By Carlo Siliotto … Warzone Music By Michael Wandmacher
The Punisher and Punisher: Warzone Distributed by Lions Gate Films
The Punisher Run Time: 2 hours and 3 minutes … Warzone Run Time: 1 hour and 43 minutes
The Punisher World Premier: April 16, 2004 … Punisher: Warzone World Premier: December 5, 2008
The Punisher Opening Weekend Box Office: $13 million … Warzone Opening Weekend Box Office: $4 million
The Punisher Worldwide Box Office: $54 million … Warzone Worldwide Box Office: $10 million
The Punisher Rotten Tomatoes Score: 29% … Warzone Rotten Tomatoes Score: 29%
Lions Gate Films
Fun The Punisher Facts
In the mid-1990’s, facing bankruptcy, Marvel licensed out the film rights to several of their characters in an effort to keep the company afloat. The upstart Marvel Studios, led by Avi Arad, negotiated these deals which would see other Studios finance and distribute Marvel films with Marvel assisting in a production role that would give them a say in the script-writing process, the hiring of directors, and casting. The Punisher was amongst the Marvel characters that landed at Lions Gate.
Punisher: War Zone saw Lexi Alexander became the first woman to ever direct a Marvel film. it would be over a decade before that feat would be repeated and came when Anna Boden co-directed Captain Marvel with Ryan Fleck for Marvel Studios in 2019. From there, Cate Shortland directed Marvel Studios’ Black Widow and Chloe Zhao directed Marvel Studios’ Eternals in 2021. Nia DaCosta directed Marvel Studios’ The Marvels this year.
After starring in Punisher: War Zone, Ray Stevenson joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of rotund Asgardian Volstagg; one of the famed “Warriors Three.” Stevenson appeared in the Marvel Studios films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017) before his death on May 21, 2023, at the age of 58.
On September 6, 2005, Marvel Enterprises became Marvel Entertainment; a reflection of the company’s new initiative to finance its own motion pictures through Marvel Studios. The first Punisher film was produced before this massive shift in direction for Marvel Studios while War Zone came after.
The rights to The Punisher eventually reverted back to Marvel Entertainment and it was decided that the character would fall under the creative jurisdiction of the Marvel Television division instead of being featured in movies produced by Marvel Studios. In 2013, Marvel Television arranged a deal with the Netflix streaming service that would see them produce four television series centered around Marvel characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist that would build to a fifth team-up series: The Defenders. A similar format had been used by Marvel Studios in their series of Phase One films that built to The Avengers. In the Second Season of Daredevil, Frank Castle was introduced as a supporting character, portrayed by Jon Bernthal. The Punisher would get his own Netflix series in 2017. The Netflix shows were marketed by Marvel Entertainment as being set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and promoted as if the characters like Frank Castle could someday share the silver screen with The Avengers, but as The Defenders Saga grew, Marvel Studios ignored the shows and no crossovers from television to film ever transpired.
In the meantime, Marvel Studios split from Marvel Entertainment and Kevin Feige began answering directly to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Fine, resulting in a definitive divide between Marvel Studios and Marvel Television. Despite the widespread critical acclaim for select Marvel Netflix series’ and desire by fans to see characters such as The Punisher share the screen with The Avengers, the Marvel Studios team remained steadfast in their ignoring of the Netflix characters and storylines throughout the acclaimed Infinity Saga. In 2019, Marvel Television was dissolved as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was promoted to oversee all Marvel content under the title of Mavel Chief Creative Officer (CCO). From there, Netflix Daredevil actor Charlie Cox was brought back to reprise the role of Matt Murdock / Daredevil within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuting in the Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures film Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, and later appearing in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. In the meantime, the entire Defenders Saga moved from Netflix to Disney+ on March 16, 2022, and at the 2022 San Diego Comic Con, Kevin Feige announced that Cox would star as Daredevil in a new series produced by Marvel Studios titled Daredevil: Born Again. From there, the 2023 book Marvel Studios – The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline seemed to confirm that the version of the character portrayed by Cox in No Way Home and She-Hulk upon the MCU (Sacred) Timeline was not the same version of the character that appeared in the Netflix series. However, on January 3, 2023, Marvel Studios Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation: Brad Winderbaum confirmed during an interview with Screen Rant that the Matt Murdock that appeared for Marvel Television from 2015-2018 and the Matt Murdock that was currently appearing for Marvel Studios were in fact the same person and that the events that took place during his appearances for Marvel Television did in fact happen upon the Sacred Timeline. This was further confirmed some 24-hours later when the final trailer for Marvel Studios’ Echo series featuring Cox as Daredevil, prominently featured video and audio from The Defenders Saga.
Lions Gate Films
My The Punisher and Punisher: War Zone Reviews
Both Punisher films were low-budget revenge flicks based on one of Marvel’s grittiest yet beloved characters. Frank Castle is a no-nonsense anti-hero that walks the line between black and white unapologetically. He is no Captain America, and he never claims to be, but most readers who take the time to read the stories revolving around the character find it impossible to root against The Punisher.
The plot for most Punisher stories and each of these Punisher films is pretty easy to understand. Frank Castles’ family is murdered, and he sets out to avenge the loss of everyone that he loved as only The Punisher can, In the 2004 film, Castle is an undercover FBI agent and on his final mission, the son of mafia boss Howard Saint is killed. Saint retaliates by ordering the slaughter of Castle’s entire family, including his wife and young son at a family reunion in Puerto Rico. Only Frank survives. In the 2008 film, Frank is a marine that loses his family to (you guessed it) mob violence. Castle becomes a vigilante and inadvertently creates a nemesis in Jigsaw during one of his raids after the former Billy Russotti is thrown into a glass-crushing machine, leaving him horribly disfigured.
Both films are fully loaded with torture and gun violence, but the gore is really ramped up for Punisher: Warzone. If you want gore, Warzone is the way to go. If you’re looking for heart, the 2004 film is the movie I would suggest. Both films have things to appreciate, but I’m fonder of the 2004 film, personally. John Travolta stands out in the 2004 film as the delightfully wicked Howard Saint but both Thomas Jane and the late Ray Stevenson exude the spirit of The Punisher in each film, remaining true to their conviction as Frank Castle always does.
Neither of these films are exactly “feel good” movies, but both are worth a watch if you’re a fan of the character. In the 2004 film in particular, the final sequence where Thomas Jane’s Frank and John Travolta’s Howard Saint finally share the screen is quite satisfying!
With all of that being said, I must say if you truly want to experience The Punisher in live action, The Defenders Saga is far and away your best option. Jon Bernthal is amazing in the role and his chemistry with actors such as Charlie Cox (Daredevil) and Vincent D’Onofrio (The Kingpin) is incredible! Daredevil: Season Two is a must-watch for the philosophical clash between Frank Castle and Matt Murdock, and both Seasons of The Punisher are well worth the time it takes to consume them.
I’m looking forward to Frank Castle’s formal MCU introduction in the coming months in Daredevil: Born Again!
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