YMMV / The Punisher (2004)

• Awesome Music:
  • The main theme by Carlo Silioto will make you want to kick some ass.
  • The song that Harry Heck sings to Frank: "In Time".
  • Drowning Pool's Step Up, Seether's Broken (which features vocals by Evanescence's Amy Lee) and Edgewater's Eyes Wired Shut (which, alongside "In Time", are the only songs from the soundtrack that are in movie).
• Better on DVD: The "Extended Cut" release; several scenes are added in that actually improve upon the film's theatrical cut and flesh out a few plot holes - most specifically, scenes with Frank's former partner, who is revealed to have sold Frank out to Howard Saint, which lead to the Castle family being massacred. (The "Extended Cut" of the film is also the one shown when the film plays on the FX network.)
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The whole scene with hitman Harry Heck interrupting Frank's meal in a diner with a guitar and a song. It serves no purpose other than to let the viewer (and Frank) know that there's a killer after him, which is practically expected at this point in the plot, anyway. It's made even more pointless by that hitman dying in the very next scene, making his awesome introduction completely moot, but he still managed to become one of the most memorable characters of the film despite his limited screentime, so props for that.
• Can't Un-Hear It: Thomas Jane as the Punisher for some. His performance even influenced Jon Bernthal's depiction of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Critical Dissonance: The movie was not well-received by critics, sitting at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it has an audience rating of 63%.
• Cult Classic: The movie didn't exactly crush it at the box office and nets some derision from comic-book purists, but is well-liked among action buffs for being a throwback to gritty, oldschool shoot-em-up flicks at a time when The Matrix copycats were still all the rage.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Harry Heck. A Johnny Cash-esque, Affably Evil hired killer who sings the tune to Frank Castle's life. Then he dies one chase later. The character made quite an impression on audiences however, and is often mentioned as one of the most memorable scenes of the movie. Keep in mind Harry Heck was nothing but a named Mook in the comics, who appears and dies in one page.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The motivation behind John Travolta's character killing Frank's family is payback for the death of his son. Five years later, Travolta's son died. It gets worse when one remembers that aside from his son, Travolta's character also outlives his wife; Travolta's real life wife Kelly Preston also predeceased him in 2020.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • "My father and mother send their regards" becomes funnier after the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones' third season.
  • In the 2005 video game sequel, Matt Murdock became Frank Castle's lawyer. It happens again a decade later in Daredevil season 2.
  • The climax features a scene in which Frank kills one of Saint's men with an arrow through the neck. Eight years later, we have a DC adaptation starring an archer who operates very similarly to the Punisher. Bonus points for both Thomas Jane and Stephen Amell being in Hung.
• Jerkass Woobie: Frank. He's cold, unpleasant, and his quest for vengeance leads him to do some really horrific things, even if the victims do have it coming. But considering how he lost everyone he ever loved, it's hard to not feel sorry for him. Frank shows his warmer side in his treatment of his neighbors to whom he gives the Saint's money before becoming a vigilante.
• Magnificent Bastard: Frank Castle aka The Punisher is an ex-FBI agent who, after his family is killed by the Saint family and their henchman Quentin Glass, embarks on a brutal quest to punish them. Castle kidnaps the Saint’s abused lackey Mickey Duka, pretends to torture him in order to get information on the Saints, and convinces him to help in his plan to take them down. Frank then dismantles the Saint's criminal operation by destroying two shipments of money belonging to their associates, causing the associates to cut off ties with the Saints. When the family's patriarch Howard sends assassins after him, Castle outmaneuvers and kills them. With Mickey's help Frank frames Glass for having an affair with Howard's wife Livia, causing Howard to murder them both. Frank then ambushes and dispatches the last of the Saints, showing Howard that the affair was fake in order to break his spirit before killing him.
• Moral Event Horizon: The Saints cross it with the massacre of Frank Castle's entire family and celebrating it afterwards.
  • In a deleted scene, it is revealed that Jimmy Weeks had sold out Castle (albeit reluctantly) to cover his gambling debts. When confronted about his betrayal, he tries to shoot Castle. No going back from that.
• Narm:
  • Howard's "screaming" when his legs catch fire in Frank's trap — it sounds like he's merely slipping on a banana peel instead of dying in agony.
  • Livia's Stock Scream when Howard throws her off a bridge and onto a train track — she does another one as a train runs her over.
  • When Frank is fighting one of Howard's mooks during his shootout at Howard's club, he shoots him in the foot, making him give a comical groan. Then Frank pins the mook's hand behind his back and stabs it, making the mook give out a yell of pain that suspiciously sounds like he's doing opera. And then Frank stabs him under his jaw, with the result looking darkly silly (it's the same mook who shot Frank's dad in the back, which at least explains the overkill).
  • Castle rigging up several vehicles to explode at the end in the shape of the iconic skull logo. The director even acknowledges in the commentary that the viewer has about a 50/50 chance of finding it cheesy instead of badass.
• Signature Song: "Broken" by Seether and Amy Lee.
• Tear Jerker:
  • The massacre of the entire Castle family by the Saint gang.
  • The Saints are utter Asshole Victim material, but they still loved each other (Howard is completely shattered at seeing his dead son) and Frank's plan to destroy them by playing Iago to Howard Saint's Othello leaves Howard very, very distressed. The worse part is that Livia and Glass only find out about the framing up when Howard confronts and kills them for the alleged tryst they have behind Howard's back (Glass' last words are even "you're killing me… why are you killing me…?").
• Vindicated by History: Despite being disliked in its initial release, the film's reputation has since swung in a more positive direction with some considering it an underrated superhero film. Thomas Jane's performance as the Punisher in particular has become more appreciated.

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