Issue date: 4/23/04 Section: The Verge

Gore-tastic. Kill-diculous. These are just a few of the words that can best describe the level of excellence that exudes from the newest comic-to-movie conversion, "The Punisher."

The film starring Thomas Jane, follows FBI agent Frank Castle, a deep undercover agent who finds himself responsible for the death of a son of Tampa Bay crime boss, Robert Saint (John Travolta). Saint, as any good villain would do, instantly demands retribution for the loss of his son.

After an illegal arms bust, Castle retires and jets off to a family reunion in Puerto Rico where Saints' men find him and kill his entire family (extended and all).

Saints' men attempt to murder Castle, but three bullets and an exploding boat dock are not enough to exterminate the Punisher.

After recovering from his wounds, Castle makes an oath to chastise the men responsible for his family's deaths.

Castle moves to Tampa and sets up shop in a decrepit apartment building, which is full of neighbors drawn up specifically for comic relief. Castle then begins to work out his plans to make his enemies pay; and oh does he.

Thomas Jane does an excellent job of bringing the gritty hero to life, blurring the line between good and evil to a beautiful shade of gray. He does for "The Punisher" what Hugh Jackman did for Wolverine in "X-Men."

Jane brings an unexpected degree of seriousness to what could have been a comically over-the-top character. He brings a quiet, brooding persona to the screen that really gives the merciless character life.

John Travolta brings his experiences as a villain to the film and does a masterful job of playing the bad guy. He gives the evil and compassionless Saint a sense of credibility others would have missed.

A major aid in the film's depth comes from the fact that, unlike other comic book movies, "The Punisher" is rated R, which allows for added language and violence - unnecessary at times, but essential at others.

Is the movie a bit cheesy? Yes. But being cheesy is key to certain movies of this nature because comic books themselves are cheesy at their core.

The film does a nice job of blending the cheese with the quality acting and dialogue.

The strength of "The Punisher" comes in its true-to-comic format. It stays consistent, for the most part, with the book.

In this era of comic book movie extravaganzas, "The Punisher" is a dark, gritty accomplishment that is worthy of the violent its name bears.

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