Movie Review Paradise City

Paradise City (2022) 

Directed by Chuck Russell 

Written by Corey Large, Edward John Drake, Chuck Russell 

Starring John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Stephen Dorff, Blake Jenner 

Release Date November 11th, 2022 

Published November 9th, 2022 

The effort that Director Chuck Russell puts into not putting John Travolta and Bruce Willis on screen together, despite their being co-stars in the new movie Paradise City, might have been better used to make a good movie. But, that's just wishful thinking. No, instead of bothering to make a good movie, Russell spends loads of time creating scenarios that led to his stars never sharing the screen at the same time. Why? Who knows. I'm not familiar with whether or not there is some issue between Willis and Travolta. 

All I do know is that they have a scene in the movie Paradise City where Travolta and Willis's characters, a wanted international criminal who underwent serious facial reconstruction, and the world's greatest bounty hunter respectively, are supposed to be sitting in a restaurant together. It's a flashback to an important face to face showdown that is edited to have only given us a vague sense that perhaps the two stars had been in the same room at the same time. 

The... inelegant, to the be charitable, camera and editing gymnastics that keep Travolta and Willis from having to breathe the same air in the same room are the most notable thing about Paradise City. Like me, if you waste your time watching this Z-Grade thriller you will spend most of that time wondering why Travolta and Willis never share the screen, even when their characters are supposed to be in the same room having an important confrontation. 

The movie opens with Bruce Willis in a car racing along some Hawaiian roadway. He crashes and retrieves a hooded figure from the trunk. He drags this hooded figure to the beach and waits for the people chasing him to come along. He tries to reason with, what appear to be corrupt members of law enforcement, Willis' go-to late in career villains, before he's forced to release his hostage and is subsequently brought down in a hale of bullets. 

The hooded prisoner is Travolta but we only find that out later when we see the aftermath of the shooting, Willis's bounty hunter miraculously survives, and with Willis fully out of frame and dying in the ocean, the hood comes off to reveal Travolta. Again, I don't know if there is some kind of beef between Willis and Travolta, it's just this weird choice the movie made. Perhaps they could save money by shooting their most expensive cast members separately, that seems logical, but regardless, it's deeply distracting and with the remaining cast headed up by Blake Jenner and Dollar Store Christian Slater impersonator, Stephen Dorff, it's easy to get distracted. 

Click here for my full length review of Paradise City at Geeks.Media. 

Movie Review Hairspray

Hairspray (2007)

Directed by Adam Shankman

Written by Leslie Dixon 

Starring Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, James Marsden 

Release Date July 13th, 2007 

Published July 12th, 2007

John Waters Hairspray was an independent movie that made only 6 million dollars during its theatrical run in 1988. Nevertheless, the film struck a chord with someone, because over a decade later the film was plucked from obscurity and turned into a Broadway musical that went on to gross far more than the film ever did and garnered a few awards along the way.

Now Hairspray is back on the big screen and in a most astonishing turn of events, Hairspray gets even more successful in its return to the big screen. This jaunty good natured, upbeat satirical musical is the most consistently smile-inducing film this side of Ratatouille and nearly as much of a must see.

First time actress Nikki Blonsky, who won a nationwide talent search to get this role, stars as Tracey Turnblad an optimistic young teenager in early 1960

Of course, what people really want to know about Hairspray is, how does John Travolta pull off the crossdressing, the fat suit and the song and dance all at once. He's absolutely terrific. Though saddled with a Baltimore accent that limits his ability to belt out the songs in full voice, Travolta really throws all of his talent and charisma into this performance and his joy is fun and infectious.

The star of Hairspray is not John Travolta however, it's the music. These are some terrific songs; performed with style, humor and panache. My personal favorite is "Run and Tell That" a fast paced dance tune performed by Elijah Kelley who I believe is a star waiting to happen. Watch this performance and the chemistry he has with Amanda Bynes during this song and throughout their scenes. Bynes herself is a real joy to watch, together with Elijah Kelly, they are great fun.

The showstopper is an all-cast blast called "You Can't Stop The Beat" a rousing announcement of the arrival of the 1960's and modern times and values. Hairspray captures our move to a more permissive time, an experimental and unique time in our history. In this moment the film is both of its time, the 60's, and beyond it.

Hairspray is a guaranteed great time at the movies. A non-stop toe-tapping, smile inducing musical that will leave you humming, if not dancing, out of the theater. Young star Nikki Blonsky is a revelation as Tracey Turnblad, not bad for a contest winner, and John Travolta is a scene stealer as her mom Edna, just wait till you see Edna dance with Christopher Walken as Wilbur Turnblad, this scene alone is worth the price of a ticket.

Rat up your hair, call your best girl and go see Hairspray. If you can't have fun watching this movie, you simply don't know how.

Movie Review: Wild Hogs

Wild Hogs (2007) 

Directed by Walt Becker 

Written Brad Copeland 

Starring John Travolta, William H. Macy, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, Marisa Tomei 

Release Date March 2nd, 2007 

Published March 1st, 2007

The stars of Wild Hogs are somewhat beyond their sell by date. Aside from William H. Macy, who has never been any kind of box office star, the box office for stars John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and Tim Allen have seen diminishing returns. However, that doesn’t mean that putting them together in a movie is bad for business.

Indeed, it would seem rather a genius idea and when you combine the collective star power of this cast with an easy sell of a comic premise like Wild Hogs, you have the recipe for a big hit. Regardless of whether the movie is any good.

Woody (John Travolta), Doug (Tim Allen), Bobby (Martin Lawrence) and Dudley (William H. Macy) have reached a point in their lives where they are stuck. For Woody a divorce and bankruptcy has him more than a little on edge. Doug is dealing with a son who doesn’t respect him and a job as a dentist that gets little respect. Bobby is so henpecked that even a daily ride on his motorcycle is hard to put past his difficult wife (Regina King). As for Dudley, crippling nerdiness has made him repellant to woman and arrested his development.

At least they have each other and their matching expensive Harley’s and a patch on their leather jackets that says Wild Hogs. What the really need is an adventure and Woody has just the idea. A cross country bike ride from their home in Cinncinati all the way to the Pacific ocean.

After a little dull exposition, convincing each character why they should go, we finally hit the road for a series of gay jokes, bathroom jokes and biker clichés. There is nothing remotely original about Wild Hogs. The films humor is lowbrow, in the vein of Robin Williams at his most cloying. In fact, Williams' family pic R.V has much the same idiots on the road vibe.

I hated R.V. Yet, I don't necessarily hate Wild Hogs. Where Williams flailed and fell about searching for laughs in R.V, Wild Hogs has four well known stars flailing and falling about trying to find laughs and somehow that is more entertaining.

There is a genial, good time vibe that is undeniable throughout Wild Hogs. All four of these stars just seem to be having such a good time that occasionally that vibe becomes infectious and you can't help but feeling it. William H. Macy is especially winning as a good hearted computer nerd. At first his schtick, crashing his motorcycle twice in the first 20 minutes, seems a little embarrassing and unbecoming an actor of his talent, but eventually Macy makes the characters awkward ways charming and when he falls for a small town gal played by Marisa Tomei the film takes on a real rooting interest.

John Travolta and Tim Allen have a very natural friendly interaction in Wild Hogs. They are the alpha males of this group of four and where you would expect Allen, the former stand-up, to be the comic; it is Travolta working for the laughs, and often getting them, while Allen plays things straight. I guess it should be no surprise that Travolta is good at mugging for laughs, what is surprising is how he manages to make much of his mugging in Wild Hogs so charming.

Martin Lawrence, unfortunately, never connects with either his co-stars or his hen pecked character. Lawrence has never done well with co-stars of equal billing, check Luke Wilson in Blue Streak or, much worse, Steve Zahn in National Security. Lawrence is most comfortable riffing his own material. Forced into the confines of an ensemble he melts into the background and appears to be going through the motions and simply picking up a paycheck.

Don't take away the impression that I think Wild Hogs is a good movie. This is truly idiot filmmaking. However, this group of actors is so talented and so likable that even the most hardened critic will have a hard time not finding something that makes them giggle. For me it was William H. Macy's fumbling attempts at romance and Travolta's mug that made me laugh much more than I ever thought I would during such an obvious and formulaic picture.

Wild Hogs isn't a movie I will ever see again but while I watched it, I kind of enjoyed it. This isn't the greatest endorsement I have ever given a film but count as a reason to see Wild Hogs. Once.

Movie Review: The Taking of Pelham 123

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) 

Directed by Tony Scott 

Written by Brian Helgeland 

Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, James Gandolfini 

Release Date June 12th, 2009 

Published June 11th, 2009 

Robert Shaw was three years away from his iconic performance in Jaws. Walter Matthau was a star but certainly no action hero when, in 1974, the two actors teamed for The Taking of Pelham 123. Based on the bestseller by Robert Godey, the story placed this unique acting duo in an unexpected action context and allowed them to create indelible characters. The film has developed something of a cult following amongst hardcore movie nerds.

Now comes a true action remake of the underrated 74 picture. With bigger stars and a much bigger budget, The Taking of Pelham 123 comes into modern times with bells and whistles beyond anything imagined for the original but with it's premise and highly distinct voice intact.

The Taking of Pelham 123 is essentially two guys having a very important conversation. The first guy is Walter played by Denzel Washington. Graying and rumpled, Walter has worked for the New York City Transit Department for years. He was the boss of the Subway system until he was charged with taking a bribe. Now, Walter finds himself back behind a microphone as a train dispatcher. It is in this capacity that Walter meets Ryder played by John Travolta. Ryder is a terrorist who takes a subway car full of New Yorkers hostage and demand 10 million dollars in one hour or he will begin executing people.

The conversation between Walter and Ryder takes place within this intense hour as Ryder demands that Walter first listen to him and then explain himself as they wait for the city, lead by the Mayor (James Gandolfini), to come up with the cash. With topics ranging from religion to Walter's corruption charges, these two very different men connect in ways they never imagined.

The idea of two guys talking probably doesn't set your pulse racing as an action movie fan. However, you've never seen Denzel Washington talk to John Travolta as they are filmed by the hyper-kinetic director Tony Scott. Somehow, through carefully choreographed camera whips and pans and an exceptional supporting cast, lead by Gandolfini and John Turturro, working at the edges, the conversation becomes an intense action of its own and The Taking of Pelham 123 flies on the words of Denzel and Travolta.

If the final act that takes Washington into the tunnels with Travolta fails to match the intensity of their conversation, it is still the only way to wrap up the twist that is the essential ending of The Taking of Pelham 123. It's not a letdown, per se, it's just that things devolve to a rather typical chase scene and it's not as exciting as the dynamic was when they were separated by a microphone. It's how the movie has to end and we just have to accept that. 

Putting reservations aside, The Taking of Pelham 123 radiates with energy, wit and directorial flourish. The talking is fun, the action is fun and, in the end, even the dopey chase scene finish cannot take away from the excitement of the first two acts of The Taking of Pelham 123.

Movie Review: Domestic Disturbance

Domestic Disturbance (2001) 

Directed by Harold Becker 

Written by Lewis Colick 

Starring John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo, Steve Buscemi 

Release Date November 2nd, 2001 

Published November 2nd, 2001 

John Travolta has a history of redeeming bad movies. Look at movies like Broken Arrow, The General's Daughter and Swordfish all bad movies made better by having Travolta as the star. Through the sheer force of charisma and charm, Travolta takes bad material and makes it fun and entertaining. However, not even Travolta can save Domestic Disturbance, one of the worst films of 2001.

Domestic Disturbance is the story of a young boy who witnesses his stepfather, played by Vince Vaughn, committing a murder. Is the kid crying wolf? Only his father played by Travolta believes he's telling the truth. Of course none of this matters to the audience who are always 20 minutes ahead of the characters.

The film's marketing campaign pretty well gives away the story by touting Travolta as the good guy. If he's the good guy obviously there is a bad guy, and make no mistake you already know who that is too. 

Of course, a good movie could possibly overcome such a bad marketing campaign. Unfortunately, Domestic Disturbance is a terrible film. There are stock characters and situations seen many times before and numerous other lame thriller shortcuts. The most egregious of the cliched cheats in Domestic Disturbance is the use of the child in danger trope. 

The oldest and arguably worst trick in the suspense genre, placing a child in danger is a cheap way to involve the audience. We may not care about the adult idiot characters, but a good person may worry about a child, even in the least convincing thriller.  That's not to say that Domestic Disturbance is effective in any way. Rather, it's a baseline of involvement akin to, hey, don't hurt that small child you idiotic film director. 

Domestic Disturbance also features the classic dumb thriller cop. A movie like Domestic Disturbance couldn't live without the dumb cop who, despite all the evidence, remains completely ignorant. A competent cop would require the screenwriters to do a little more work to make their plot believable and that would be way way more work than anyone involved in Domestic Disturbance wanted to do. 

Ignorant, brain-dead, and insulting, Domestic Disturbance will be on my list of the 10 worst films of the year.

Movie Review: Basic

Basic (2003)

Directed by John McTiernan 

Written by James Vanderbilt 

Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Connie Nielsen, Taye Diggs, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Daly 

Release Date March 28th, 2003 

Published March 27th, 2003 

Just over a year ago, director John McTiernan hit a career low point that made The Last Action Hero look like an Oscar winner. The 2002 remake of Rollerball was a painful cinematic experience for the audience and probably the filmmaker as well. McTiernan soldiers on, literally in fact, with his new military thriller Basic. Re-teaming Pulp Fiction partners John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, McTiernan has improved on his last effort; then again, how could he not?

Travolta, back in military mode for the first time since 1999 trash thriller The General's Daughter, here plays another troubled outsider called into the military fold to investigate a murder. Sergeant Nathan West(Jackson) and a group of six recruits went into the jungle training grounds of Panama and only two people came back. Both men, Lieutenant Kendell(Giovanni Ribisi) and Lieutenant Dunbar (Brian Van Holt) say Sergeant West was killed, but that is where the similarities in their stories end. While Travolta's Tom Hardy--who is paired with a military investigator, Lieutenant Osborne (Connie Nielsen)--interrogates each man, two very different stories evolve as time ticks away before the FBI and military police step in and take the case over.

The camp commander, Colonel Styles (Tim Daly), needs the case cracked before the Feds get there or the camp will be shut down. Of course, his motives come into question, as do the motives of everyone in the film, as the plot begins to spin out of control with flashback on top of flashback. The film's plot is based on so many lucky guesses and well-timed confessions, that by the time it arrives at its final twist, you're too exhausted to care. Whether it was too much editing and settling for shorthand clues that the audience never sees or simply a poorly-constructed plot one is left to wonder.

If you are looking for a Pulp Fiction reunion, there isn't much to get excited about Travolta and Jackson share very little screen time. However, Travolta is well teamed with Nielsen. The two spark with flirty dialogue even while at each other's throat over who is in charge. Travolta is in full-on cool mode, much like his performance in Broken Arrow--all swagger, bravado, and charisma. Jackson, on the other hand, though he is played up as a star, really only has a cameo in the film. He's barely there. In typical Sam Jackson manner, he still manages to make an impression.

Of course, if one is to compare Basic to any of Travolta's past films, the obvious one is The General's Daughter. In both films, Travolta plays a cop on the outskirts of the military called into an investigation that could lead to a scandal. Both are murder investigations with mysterious circumstances and witnesses with conflicting accounts and there is even a soldier with a powerful general for a father who wants things to keep quiet. Thankfully, the general remains off screen. The difference between Basic and The General's Daughter is entertainment value. 

Where Basic tires you with twist after twist, The General's Daughter has the advantage of salacious subject matter and trashy novelizations to titillate the audience and distract from the formula thriller twists. Basic doesn't have that to fall back on and thus, outside of Travolta, it's just no fun. The further I get from the film, the more the cracks in the plot become big gaping holes. Unlike many critics though, I cannot lay all the blame with screenwriter James Vanderbilt because some of these ideas, especially the ending, seem to have been made up as they went along.

Basic is an improvement for John McTiernan over Rollerball. (Then again, repertory theater versions of Rollerball would improve over that film.) McTiernan is in a slump and rumors of a Die Hard sequel are out there. Maybe a return to such familiar ground is what the man needs. That or maybe just a nice long vacation.

Movie Review: Blow Out

Blow Out (1981) 

Directed by Brian De Palma

Written by Brian De Palma 

Starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz 

Release Date July 21st 1981 

Published July 20th, 2001 

Style over substance, technique over plot. Just some of the many things said of Brian De Palma's directorial style. In Blow Out we are treated to a rare De Palma effort that combines style and brains for an entertaining suspense filled ride. If only De Palma weren't so enamored of Nancy Allen.

In Blow Out, John Travolta is a movie sound man who, while standing on a bridge recording ambient outdoor noise, witnesses a car go off the road and into the river below him. After saving the car’s female passenger played by Nancy Allen, and taking her the hospital he finds that the man killed in the accident was a popular presidential candidate. After being told that the events of the evening were to be covered up he then discovers the accident wasn't really an accident and Travolta becomes obsessed with finding the truth.

De Palma's long languid tracking shots and unique camera work is once again on display and added to it is a love of sound appropriate for a movie about a movie sound man. The film makes great use of surrounding noise and microphones. Travolta's character is a former police expert in surveillance, which is put to excellent use in the film’s tragic crescendo. The films main flaw is lead actress Nancy Allen whose tiresome whine makes you want to root for John Lithgow's nut-job serial killer to cut her heart out. 

Thankfully De Palma's direction and Travolta's cool obsessiveness save this first rate thriller that is one of De Palma's best. 

Movie Review From Paris With Love

From Paris With Love (2010) 

Directed by Pierre Morel 

Written by Adi Hasak 

Starring John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Richard Durden 

Release Date February 5th, 2010 

Published February 4th, 2010 

With so much butt-kicking and bullets fired in the new action movie, From Paris with Love, one still must marvel at the fact that what most people cannot get around is John Travolta's bald dome. The shaven skull of Mr. Travolta is the big buzz topic when anyone talks about From Paris with Love. This is despite the fact that it is the follow up from director Pierre Morel whose Taken was one of 2009's most popular films.

Travolta's dome is indeed a bit of a distraction but thanks to a solid turn by Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Pierre Morel's furtive action movie direction; it's not too hard to get around John Travolta's ham and cheese performance and bullet head. James Reese (Meyers) is a handsome kid who seems like he should be more than just a glorified bureaucrat's secretary at the American Embassy in Paris. It turns out; he is more, though not much more. Reese is also a secret agent but his career thus far has been mostly the busywork, laying foundations for real spies.

Reese gets his big break when a bombastic American spy, Charlie Wax (John Travolta), arrives in Paris. Though enlisted as Charlie's driver, James insinuates himself as Charlie's partner only to find himself desperately in over his head. Wax is a wildcard whose methods and motives are more than questionable.

Soon Reese is a little high on some high end cocaine, as is Wax, and his long suffering girlfriend Caroline (Kasia Smutniak) is beginning to suspect something about his job that he's not telling her. She has an important secret of her own, one that director Pierre Morel writer Adi Hasek use to strong dramatic effect.

From Paris with Love lacks the intensity and drive of director Pierre Morel’s Taken. Liam Neeson's frightening determination gave Taken an unpredictable and dangerous quality that kept audiences on the edge of their seats. From Paris with Love is much more of a classic, bombastic action film in the vein of the Rush Hour films, minus the intentional comic relief. Don't get me wrong, there is humor in From Paris with Love but only some of it seems intended. John Travolta chews the furniture, the scenery, his fellow actors, anything in his path in his most outlandish performance since Face/Off. Mostly, Travolta is entertaining. 

Occasionally, Travolta is so hammy and over the top it's embarrassing but not so often that it's a terrible distraction. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is well cast as the fish out of water wannabe spy and provides a welcome straight edge for Travolta's larger than life performance. You have to love how game Meyers is to follow Travolta and Morel's flights of bullet riddled fancy but his best work comes in giving From Paris with Love grounding in some sort of movie universe reality. When the film arrives at its dramatic conclusion it can only work with Meyers because Travolta lacks any pretense of believability in this universe or any universe.

There is plenty of fun to be had in From Paris with Love, especially if you are a fan of Travolta at his most balls out goofy. If however, you are looking for action and suspense along the lines of Taken, a relationship that TV ads are eager to sew in your mind, you will find yourself disappointed. From Paris with Love just isn't in Taken's league.

Movie Review: The Punisher

The Punisher (2004) 

Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh 

Written by Jonathan Hensleigh 

Starring Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Rebecca Romijn 

Release Date: April 16th, 2004 

Published April 15th, 2004 

Previous to Avi Arad’s days as CEO, Marvel Comics made a number of bad deals involving the film rights to its comics. The Fantastic Four was sold to Roger Corman's production company (yes that Roger Corman). Do we want to remember those awful Captain America and Spiderman TV movies? Ugh. And who can forget 1989's The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren? Well most people have forgotten that, thankfully. Now The Punisher has a new life on film and the best that can be said is that it's better than the Dolph Lundgren version.

Thomas Jane is the new Frank Castle, a special forces trained FBI Agent who has just wrapped up his final case with his own faked death. Unfortunately, in a case where he hoped no one would be killed, a mobster’s son was taken down. The mobster, Howard Saint (John Travolta) is of course none too pleased with this and sets out to find the man responsible. With little effort he finds Castle is not really dead and sets out to kill him, and at his wife Livia's (Laura Elena Herring) suggestion, kill Castle's entire family as well.

Saint sends his top thug Quentin Glass (Will Patton) and a large goon squad to Puerto Rico where the entire Castle clan, cousins, and uncles, and grandparents, and so on and so on, all just happen to be gathered. The gang kills the entire family then chases down Frank's fleeing wife and child and brutally run them down. Then it's Frank's turn as he arrives just in time to see his wife and child die and then get the living crap kicked out of himself by the bad guys. In typical bad guy fashion, rather than just shooting Frank in the head the baddies plot an elaborate torture that Frank manages to escape. Well if they did the smart thing there would be no movie.

Castle does survive and soon is back in Tampa ready to make Howard Saint pay for killing his family. Along the way Frank hooks up with three oddballs who share a rundown tenement apartment building with him. They are Joan (Rebecca Romijn) a waitress with a taste for the wrong kind of man, Bumpo (comedian John Pinette) an effeminate overweight chef and Spacker Dave an overly pierced slacker. They try to draw Frank into their circle but other than protecting them from evil, Frank has little interest in them.

Frank's sole focus is an overly elaborate revenge on Howard Saint. If it weren't overly elaborate, again there would be no movie, but this is quite unnecessarily melodramatic and prolonged. The revenge involves Saint, his wife and Quentin Glass, a simple misunderstanding, and a fake fire hydrant. Where does one even acquire a fake fire hydrant? I'm not sure but it seems quite handy, unless there were an actual fire. It's all very melodramatic until the final 10 minutes when it devolves into a massive crunching bore of gunfire and the unnecessary use of way too much C4 explosive.

Director Jonathan Hensleigh obviously learned a lot from scripting Armageddon and producing Con Air for Jerry Bruckheimer. He learned how to use massive explosions to grand excess. He learned that you can never under-use gunfire and that a movie doesn't have to make sense as long as you kill, maim or explode someone every other scene. Not that this approach doesn't have it's moments but as every Bruckheimer movie shows, the formula grows tired quickly and so it does become quickly tiresome in The Punisher.

To the credit of Thomas Jane, The Punisher's belligerence is seemingly not his fault. Jane's performance is perfectly calibrated to the films dark, humorless tone. Jane's Punisher is brooding, tough, and without a trace of wit. Which seems to be exactly what the movie was going for if you watch all that surrounds his performance. Jane sells the character all the way even as he is forced to become less and less human and more of a horror film cartoon. Rambo crossed with Jason Vorhees.

John Travolta is wearing his Swordfish toupee which means he is in sneering bad guy autopilot. Nothing new for Travolta who grows more and more bored with each subsequent role these days. Hopefully his return to playing Chilli Palmer in Be Cool will revive his love of acting. In The Punisher Travolta gives up about half way through and figuratively rolls his eyes through the final 45 minutes of the film.

As bad as this movie truly is I must admit that I enjoyed some of it's over the top violence. The films major, one on one, fight scene between Tom Jane and pro wrestler Kevin Nash, the seven footer simply called The Russian in the film, brings the film’s only light moments as Jane marvels at the size of his opponent and his own numerous failed attempts to hurt the big man. It's kinda fun but it's been done, Stallone made beating up the bigger man a staple of his act back in the mid-eighties.

The film’s final violent set piece looks like an attempt to burn whatever remained of the film’s budget. I swear, it's as if they were told they had to spend a certain amount and nothing less so they just blew up whatever remaining cash they had in an orgy of explosions and gunfire.

At two hours and ten minutes, The Punisher is punishing on the audience. Repetitiously violent in between it's overly imaginative and melodramatic plots, The Punisher would be a candidate for worst of the year if Thomas Jane weren't such a pro at selling this big. dumb, loud plot. It's better than the Dolph Lundgren version of The Punisher, but staring at a blank screen for ninety minutes would be more entertaining than that picture. I would hope that the producers were aiming for more than bettering that film. Sadly that turns out to be the film’s only accomplishment.