Revenge is the theme of the week, first Kill Bill 2 and now the Punisher. The Punisher is a spin off character from Spiderman. He’s an ex-FBI , ex Special Forces operative who is out to avenge the murder of his entire family.

It’s very important to keep in mind his origins and history as a comic book character because the direction and story pay homage to the series. It also means that the scope and tone of the film are more comic book like than Hollywood. More grit than gloss. If you’re hoping for a cool action flick, look elsewhere.

Three props

1) Thomas Jane is a good Punisher. He looks and acts the part.

2) The character is close to the series to it’s credit.

3) Despite his behavior at the end of the day the Punisher is pretty likable and humorous.

Three flops

1) Parts of the premise are ridiculous. The FBI and the mob are looking for him, but no one sees him lurking about exacting his revenge until it’s too late to stop him. Uh huh. This needed to be addressed.

2) John Travolta = Dr. Evil. Whether it’s a tribute or a rip off, it’s blatant, obvious and irksome.

3) Take away Thomas Jane and John Travolta and it’s one nasty sea of fugly actors. And I do mean fugly.

It’s definitely worth a matinée, DVD or video rental.

Remember his credo – “This is not revenge. This is punishment.”