'Punisher' falls short of action expectation

Reel Reflections

Making a good comic book adaptation means walking a fine line between action-packed fun and cheesy schlock. Some movies are more successful than others at this.

"The Punisher" wasn't one of them. The main problem with the adaptation is that director Jonathan Hensleigh (writer, "Armageddon") couldn't seem to decide which kind of movie he wanted to make.

The story of "The Punisher" has the potential to surpass typical comic book hokiness. The hero wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider or sprayed in the face with chemicals. He doesn't fly or have a skeleton made of metal. He's just a man — an undercover specialist who angered the wrong "bad guy" and paid for it severely.

The movie hits a wrong note from the very beginning with its stereotypically menacing score. The one-note music is distractingly inappropriate for the heavy topics the story involves, and since music is integral to the mood of a movie, this seemingly minor detail has a major negative effect.

The cast of the movie strives admirably to work with the less-than-stellar material they've been given. Except for an unfortunate attempt at a Russian accent in the opening scene of the film, Thomas Jane ("The Sweetest Thing") does a good job at conveying Frank Castle's pain and loss, as well as his need for revenge.

As villain Howard Saint, John Travolta ("Basic") turns in a relatively understated performance. Saint strikingly is reminiscent of a few of Travolta's more recent turns as the bad guy — slick, boastful and maniacally evil — but not quite as over-the-top as his character in "Swordfish" or the travesty that was "Battlefield Earth."

Rounding out the more familiar faces in the movie is Rebecca Romijn-Stamos ("X-Men: 2") as Joan, a down-on-her-luck waitress living in the same run-down apartment as the recently widowed and highly depressed hero.

Romijn-Stamos's appearance in the film surprisingly is brief and uneventful, given the amount of facetime she receives in the trailers. Along with two other tenants, played by John Pinette ("Duets") and Ben Foster ("Six Feet Under"), she serves to remind Castle that — though it may seem to him — the world didn't end when his family was killed.

While many superheroes are isolated or have suffered a loss in their past, "The Punisher" uniquely is bleak in its subject matter. One of the movie's most effective scenes takes place at a family reunion in the first half-hour when, after a few sappy scenes of Castle with his lovely wife, adorable son and the rest of his perfect family, he is left the last man standing after everyone he loves is horrifically gunned down.

The impact of the violent scenes like this one are tempered down, however, by random guitarists serenading Castle in diners and unforgivably self-important speeches.

Ultimately, "The Punisher" is an uneven directorial debut from action writer Hensleigh who achieved box office success, if not always critical acclaim, for his previous scripts of "Armageddon," "Jumanji," and "Die Hard: With a Vengeance."

With its tough-as-nails hero and surplus of gory violence, this movie is definitely more for guys. Although, for those with an appreciation for half-naked, highly toned men, the numerous scenes with Tom Jane are enough to warrant the increasingly outrageous ticket price.

"The Punisher"
Starring: Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
Rated: R
Running Time: 124 minutes