Some thoughts on the Punisher.

I own the Director's Cut of the Thomas Jane film, I probably won't see Punisher: War Zone until it is out on DVD, and the 80's film is on my wish list.

Over at www.aintitcool.com, they already have a review. Read it if you wish.

A lot of people (including comic book writers) treat the Punisher as some one-dimensional psychotic murderer, which just pisses me off. I only like seeing his violent killings to a degree. Without depth, the Punisher becomes a bloody, campy, lame piece of shit.

To truly create a well-down Punisher franchise, you need to start with the origin. This formulic approach to storytelling is tried and true. The first film always develop's the origins in some ways to the character. A good Punisher franchise would start off with a film about a nice guy named Frank Castle who goes to Vietnam. The things he sees there, the choices he makes, turns him into something wicked and dark. He says 'yes' to the Grim reaper and essentially because a self-proclaimed Angel of Judgement, punishing the guilty much like Ghost Rider does.

After all the Vietnam shit happens (which should be about 2/3) of the movie, Frank comes back and tries to settle in a civilian life with his family. When they get killed, caught in the crossfire between gangs, that is when Frank loses it. He has been haunted by Vietnam all this time, he gave in and said 'yes' to some force that allowed him to live. In return, it took his family. Now he becomes the Punisher. First killing all of the members of those gangs, and realizing his true purpose: Killers, rapists, psychos, sadists will come to know him well. He is the Punisher.

In film number two, he is the Punisher in his prime. Here you can introduce villians like the Russian, bring in Jigsaw (who could be introduced in film one as a perfect-faced gang leader), etc. In this film, the Punisher (because he is no longer Frank CAstle) becomes psychotic. He kills relentlessly but then in one scene, he begins to doubt and question himself (maybe he kills one of the bad guys in front of the guy's kids). He's realizing that all of his war experience...it just creates this blind, bloodthirsty hatred. He kills without thinking, without considering the consequences and others' choices. He realizes that he isn't punishing but revenging. Perhaps at the end he decides to hang up the skull-shirt and maybe try on the badge. Or maybe he tries to kill himself. Statistically, this would be the best film.

In film number three, should there be one (which is dangerous...because the third film of the trilogy tends to be the worst as far as comic book movies go) Frank is a cop again. He tries his best to be a good cop but his tactics are questionable at best and so he ends up getting suspended over and over again. He realizes that the judicial system is flawed, so at night he becomes the Punisher again, one with a brain. He doesn't necessarily kill at first, more like setup criminals or something. But then some big bad guy forces him to become violent and dirty again. He must find a balance between good justice and killing. Perhaps at this end, he attempts to put a bullet in his own head. Depth can be added by creating a love interest who is a sort of femme fatale, in the same vein as the punisher. There's a good story arc in the Punisher Max series where he meets a woman who has been betrayed by these other women (they are the wives of mob bosses). This particular woman is sisters with one of the mob wives. Frank can see himself reflected in her thoughts and actions and it scares him. It causes him to look at himself objectively. Perhaps Frank is killed, so is the big bad guy in the climatic battle, but the woman lives and by giving his life, the woman gets a second chance at hers.

Just some thoughts.