A "Punisher" Film - what does it take to be good?!

[jgcarugati]

Just a question to "Punisher" fans. We've had three films over the past thirty years and none have seemed to satisfy.

Please post your thoughts as to what a "Punisher" film (or short) would need to be great!

[Ant-manic]

Just a question to "Punisher" fans. We've had three films over the past thirty years and none have seemed to satisfy.

Please post your thoughts as to what a "Punisher" film (or short) would need to be great!

a decent villain. i thought that all 3 Punisher actors did a good job of bringing Castle to life. but the story always fell apart because of the threat(s) he was facing, imo. it might help if they didn't approach it as a comic book, as well. "Man on Fire" was a decent Punisher flick.

p.s. i might also suggest a shift in time period/setting. Castle's kind of a 70s and/or 80s anti-hero.

[Vic Vega]

It needs to be a grindhouse flick.

By that I mean it needs to be as gleefully violent and explotative as revenge films
made during the time of Punisher's debut were.

We have had decades of revenge flicks made starting with Death Wish. For a Punisher movie to make an impact it would have to be pretty over the top at this point.

The bad part of that is I don't see Marvel Studio's making a hard R movie.

Punisher will probably end up on Netflix and its just as well.

Netflix has done some great original stuff.

[Ant-manic]

Hugh Jackman playing Frank Castle would probably draw a lot of attention. i'm not sure how they'd lure him over, though.

[StoneGold]

To not suck.

Really, it's not a question you can boil down to individual elements. It has to be good.

[Sprite]

I liked War Zone, and the Thomas Jane film wasn't terrible. Neither of them had very memorable villains, so I agree that Frank needs to be paired up with someone more significant. With the Punisher's rights back at Marvel, they do have a very bountiful library to draw from. A Netflix series would be good, too.

[Model 1911A1 Cal .45]

Lots of guns, explosions, and bad guys getting turned to red mist.

Needs a good villain. I mean a good villain. No one corny.

R rated. Doesn't have to be a hard R rating. But something along the lines of The Raid, Dredd, and the first Die Hard.

No superheroes. Since Marvel has the rights back you can at least mention the Avengers but leave them and any other super powered individual out.

As for who should play Frank Castle. I think Karl Urban would be a good fit. But he has done Dredd who is a similar character. There is also Christian Bale but I think he's done with the superhero thing. Or they can bring back Thomas Jane.

[Bionder]

A good Punisher film needs a good producer/director who understands the character and make it happen in the big screen.

For example in a few minutes Adi Shankar showed us how to produce a Punisher fan film in Dirty Laundry by Thomas Jane. It could be better if Frank didn't take that long to save the kid and the woman but the action scenes were amazing.

[Carabas]

A Punisher movie...

Well, first of all, the film makers need to be realistic. The Punisher was born from Death Wish and Dirty Harry. Frank Castle is an incredibly old-fashioned character that can't really be updated without losing the core of the character.
The Punisher's story isn't a superhero story, it's part of a genre that is currently essentially as dead as the Western. Moving his origin to the Iraq war doesn't alter that.

So, we're talking a modest, small budget film here. Which is fine, a proper Punisher film should have a quiter, nastier atmosphere than your regular pyrotechnics-filled Hollywood action movie with massive set-pieces.

[Arfguy]

What I'd look for when trying to make a Punisher movie:

-An actor with presence. Someone suggested Hugh Jackman...that's actually not bad. He's got the credits and he's got the size. Jackman also has the ability to command the scenes he's in. Really good casting.
-Hard R. If this is going to be made, it would probably need as much distance from Disney as possible. If Marvel Studios expanded to a studio that made grittier movies, then I could see a Rated-R Punisher movie happening. If it's not going to be Rated-R, don't bother. A Punisher isn't going to be making $100 million dollars because it's PG-13 all of a sudden.
-A director who can film action and dramatic. I know the chances of this are very slim, but I'd love to see someone like Michael Mann direct the Punisher. Imagine Vincent from Collateral, but with a conscience.
-Take it seriously. If a Punisher movie's going to work, those who are working on it need to realize that this could be happening. A former military man who takes matters into his own hands and brings a lot of guns is a very real thing. Just because he wears a skull on his chest doesn't diminish the fact that it can be all too real.

[cc008]

An hour and a half episode of Dirty Laundry

[ed2962]

It needs to be a grindhouse flick.

By that I mean it needs to be as gleefully violent and explotative as revenge films
made during the time of Punisher's debut were.

We have had decades of revenge flicks made starting with Death Wish. For a Punisher movie to make an impact it would have to be pretty over the top at this point.

The bad part of that is I don't see Marvel Studio's making a hard R movie.

Punisher will probably end up on Netflix and its just as well.

Netflix has done some great original stuff.

I think War Zone was pretty close to being that flick.

[MindofShadow]

Punisher: War Zone without Looney Bin Jim and without the stupid american flag montage recruiting thing.

Serioulsy, no Looney Bin Jim

God I hate him


I thought Castle was NAILED in War Zone and the brutality was NAILED.

But my god LBJ was awful.

[Kuwagaton]

1. Obviously, a good lead. That's vague, and most of the qualities fall to the individual, but definitely someone tall, dark, and dry. I was very underwhelmed by War Zone but I think Stevenson was a smart pick.

2. Something that makes THE PUNISHER. A lot of people veer towards realism and it's like, we have 3 million generic vigilante movies out there. I already own 4 Death Wish movies, don't need another. Have him do really crazy things. Throw in Fury, Black Widow, Barracuda, the Reavers, Bushwacker, Saracen, Bullseye, or anyone other than Jigsaw. The beauty is that you can change and even kill them.

[Tendrin]

My own personal 'Punisher' film idea is one that assumes the Punisher has been in operation for some time. Moreover, I'd have the movie be about the Punisher being offered a job to take out a cadre of 'Supervillains'. Contrast the Punisher's realistic, violent, pragmatism with the idea of 'supervillains' all together. Take a little page from Ennis in tone, but reject his super-hero-hating hard on. Violence wise, look to Robocop as inspiration. The violence there was over the top to the point of being /almost/ cartoonish, and that was by design. In fact, some of the edits to the film made the violence /less/ cartoony than was intended.