As a comic book fan, and not an effete film critic, I thought this movie was fantastic in capturing what the movie intended itself to be.
Seeing this movie, I felt, for the first time, that true fans of a certain comic book had actually made a pure theatrical homage.
As a character, The Punisher is not a sparkly, bright-colored, one-liner spouting, tie-them-up-and-leave-them-for-the-cops do-gooder. He is, as he's been called in the comics, a maniac (remember his scene in The Ultimates when he and Cap have a disagreement) who is intended to be the most brutal, single-minded vigilante in the Marvel Universe. In his first comic appearance he was technically a villain, and after that, continued to scrap with other "shinier" characters who disagreed with his methods. This movie portrays Frank Castle's gritty anti-heroism and leaves it at that.
Ray Stevenson plays the part flawlessly--laconic, brooding (without being too overtly melancholic ala Bale's Dark Knight Batman), and visibly haunted. Unlike Thomas Jane's more affable, drunk-in-the-tenement performance or Dolph Lundgren's, well, Dolph Lundgren, there is real pain within Stevenson's performance. The most moving Punisher comic I read was the Nuff Said from a few years back if I recall correctly. A troubled military vet was going around killing people and Frank Castle had to eliminate him. The final scene had Castle approaching him in a park while the unstable vet sat on a bench reading the paper, and Castle shoots him. End of story. But the emotion--even sans dialogue--in that book, as Castle sympathizes with another war vet (who after all was driven to his murderous insanity by military service) and knows the finality of what he must do, was quite moving. I felt that kind of pathos within this movie. Unspoken pain, plain and simple. It's offset by the rest of the movie's quirky, black comedy, but Stevenson's performance itself does not stray.
We all knew there would be action a-plenty so I won't talk about that because, well, there is. The movie is very gory and, quite frankly, kind of goofy but thankfully in a very self-aware way. The movie goes for very little exposition and simply comes out gunning since fans of the comic, and even those vaguely familiar with standard vigilante fare, will know the general essence coming in. They even take a little time to throw in Castle's stint in the seminary. Again, comic accurate.
I was a bit worried when I saw initial stills that Stevenson would be way too Segal for the part. But, as scenes such as Castle in his chair with harsh overhead lighting show, he looks the part. Castle's arsenal is full of unusual, tricked out weaponry and it gets put to Punisher comic-worthy good use. The character's depiction with all the necessary Punisher comic accoutrements is dead on, including, yes, even Microchip (Sorry no white van).
I'm not saying this movie is high drama. It's a bare-bones action movie, which clearly strives for nothing above its means. But its self awareness and unmistakable fun (for example Jigsaw's star-spangled "recruitment" montage) it has with itself even in the face of very, VERY gratuitous violence is refreshing in this day and age when critics feel the need for comic-book movies to have an Iron Man sort of thespio-centric, plodding narrative.
Sometimes an unapologetic, slapstick shoot-em-up is welcome fresh air...especially when set in The Punisher's unapologetic world.
As a comic-book fan, I would give this movie an A for nailing the gravitas of Castle's character and the faithful interpretation of the book.
As a film critic, a C for stylish execution, entertainment, pacing, and balls...but with an unsurprising script, hammy villains, and linear, predictable narrative.