4
Friday, September 24, 2004
AGGIfj
THE BAIT.
‘Punisher’ reprimand^
TICKET FOR
ONE
'The Punisher" on DVD
Starring Tom Jane and John
Travolta
Lion's Gate Films
ROBERT SAUCEDO
Reviewer
“The Punisher” was
made for a specific audi
ence: The same audience
that enjoys monster truck
rallies, beer commercials
and movies like “Blood-
sport.” It’s for people
who don’t give a Jean-
Claude Van Damme if
the movie features a be
lievable character arc
or if the plot’s logic is
hung out to dry while the
camera is rolling. “The Punisher” is the perfect
movie for plopping yourself in front of on a Sat
urday afternoon while your brain takes a tempo
rary vacation.
The problem is that the movie could have
been so much more.
Based on a Marvel superhero originally creat
ed 20 years ago as a bad guy for Spider-Man to
rough around, “The Punisher” tells the story of
Frank Castle, an FBI agent who has his family
brutally gunned down after taking out a venge
ful crime boss’ son. Seeking revenge (“No, not
revenge ... punishment”), Castle dons a semi
costume and takes to the mean streets of Tampa
(sarcasm alert) to clean house.
A simple story of revenge, “The Punisher” is
a fitting reflection of the comic book character’s
mental state, a schizophrenic tornado of a film
that can’t decide if it wants to be gritty realistic or
darkly comic. The film tries its hand at a variety
of tones, never finding one that completely fits.
Scenes where Tampa’s leading crime boss
(John Travolta in one of his patented villain
roles) reacts to his son’s death attempt to be
realistic and sympatric, but instead come of as
cold and flat. Then we have scenes in which
Castle battles with a hulking Russian in a hor
ribly cartoonish battle that would make Wile E.
Coyote wince.
The comic scenes make the film memorable
and the aforementioned Russian rumble and
a scene in which Castle tortures an informant
with a Popsicle and a steak speak of a poten
tial to be something different in the straight-
to-video days of Steven Segal and company. If
the film wished to focus instead on a
gritty take on revenge, the character of
is one of Comicdom’s greatest sources
tapped mental pathos; a character horde:
the edge of insanity.
Instead, the film struggles to reachaiu
stumbles down the rough side ofMt. Stt
A collage of shots and scenes ripped froc
films, “The Punisher” perfectly display:
tor Jonathan Hensleigh’s skill at beinga
The acting is perhaps the worst pan
film. Thomas Jane struggles to convert
tured pathos of Castle, but looks as if
ingested a half-pound of Taco Bell am
find a bathroom. John Travolta phonesu
formance of a potentially sympathetic
When the audience is asked to empathi;
Travolta’s motivation behind the assass
of the Castle clan, there is not enough ei
in the film to warrant any. When the film
portray the scary bad guy, he can’t brealiii'.
his likable charisma and audience memhiet
The
m b
nir
isior
lies,!
instead be expecting him to break outicl
at any moment. t
One of the few memorable aspect!
film is the great trio of actors who
Castle’s fellow' tenement dwellers. Agi
misfits and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos(wk
way is convincing as an incredibly sexy
who just happens to be living in the
Tampa) add lightness to the constipated
of the film.
In one of the documentaries on th
producer claims that “The Punisher’’is
film to shoot in Tampa. There is area
that. It's hard to believe anybody would>:■ Greg
downtown Tampa dressed in a blacktrenclinsfo
without dying of a heat stroke. flue set
The main draw to the DVD is a prequei;flubs d
book by the creative team of Garth En-flirates
Steve Dillon, w ho reinvigorated the hero
recent past. On the DVD, there is the usicl The
of extras who are actually more than ifllinche
Olyn
stTy
Iwed i
er ti
ic Cc
vestij
mple
ve pla
01
There are two information-packed doci
ries about the making of the film: "Kes flampa
Real: The Punisher Stunts” and “WarJon
Also included are two featurettes focus;:
the origins of the characters. “Drawing!!
is a short interview with Tim Bradstrtf
uber-talented cover artist of the comic;
series and genius behind the theatrical
crs. There is also a commentary by the:
director, Jonathan Hensleigh, and a coup
promotional pieces: a trailer for the upc24e
Punisher video game and a truly stupid - [lefiniti
video by the remainder for a once pn
band. Drowning Pool.
199
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ikwayA /
Experiment stai
federal agencies
join in study
Texas Agricultural Expf
Station scientists are t
operatively with federal
assessing the effectiveness o 1
ally funded conservation
as part of the 2002 Farm
Conservation Effects Ass#
Project examines conservatif
grams across the nation. Iti
a watershed assessment
which evaluates the benefits
servation programs in select:
watersheds — including the U
Bosque rivers in Texas. "This!
has two main benefits," said!
gas, director of the Texas AS 1
versify System Blackland Re
and Extension Center in
“It will confirm and justify ta
funds for conservation progtf
farms and it sustains and eit;
environmental quality." Tin
ment Station is receiving
mately $600,000 annually A
2007 for its participation
ect. The results will be
Washington and used forai*
assessment, Dugas said. W
go to: http://agnews.tamu.e^
news/stories/AGPR/Sep230 i;
Compiled from
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