"The Punisher" Theatrical Poster
First there was the 1988’s The Punisher, directed by Mark Goldblatt (Dead Heat) and starring Dolph Lundgren; Then came 2004’s The Punisher, directed by Jonathan Hensleigh (Kill the Irishman) and starring Thomas Jane; And finally there was 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, directed by Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans) and starring Ray Stevenson.
And now we have 2012’s Dirty Laundry, a short film in which Thomas Jane reprises the role – unofficially – as The Punisher. The short film (watch it now on youtube), which was presented at the San Diego Comic-Con this past Saturday, was put together by Jane and comic book artist Tim Bradstreet (who also worked on both the 2004 and 2008 Punisher movie posters). The short also stars Hellboy’s Ron Perlman.
The youtube description has a few words from Jane: “I wanted to make a fan film for a character I’ve always loved and believed in – a love letter to Frank Castle and his fans. It was an incredible experience with everyone on the project throwing in their time just for the fun of it. It’s been a blast to be a part of from start to finish – we hope the friends of Frank enjoy watching it as much as we did making it.”
So what do you guys think is the best Punisher movie?
I would have to say WAR ZONE, which isn’t saying much. Let’s just get Gareth Evans to make a Punisher movie and get it over with. While we’re at it, let’s make Frank Castle Indonesian. =D
Yeah, I thought War Zone was fairly faithful to the comic book so it’s arguably the best one, but aspects of it just felt too goofy (like the villains). I’ll always have a soft spot for Dolph’s just because Dolph Lundgren with black hair looked like the 90’s comic book Punisher come to life.
I like both the Thomas Jane version and the Ray Stevenson version. The one with Jane had a better story and better acting but the latter had awesome and brutal action scenes. Actually I think this new short, if made into a movie, would be better than any of them as it combines the best of both worlds.
Thomas Jane is a sodomite.
I haven’t seen the ’08 one yet, but I still like the Thomas Jane version the most. Dolph was alright in the role, but he’s too tall. And I hate to say it, but his one weakness is he’s not really good with emotionally complex characters. Jane nailed that aspect of Castle the best. Though the short was more in line with comic book geek violence, so I was a bit disappointed it didn’t come up with clever ways to take down those gangs like in the ’04 movie. Still, Jane made it work overall.
Actually, the short seemed a bit like Punisher by way of Drive. That’s what I was thinking.