I really pains me to write a somewhat negative review of this film because it was a favorite as a teen and one of the coolest movies at the time it came out. Now with over 15 years of hindsight I don't enjoy it nearly as much. Casting Travolta as the main villain is the film's biggest fault. He's just too 'likeable' as a villain in a movie with such dark subject matter where the audience needs to completely despise the main villain. That's why he works so well as a "likeable villain" in a movie like Pulp Fiction. It's also a bit hard to take Travolta seriously as the head of a giant criminal empire in Florida lol. The actress that plays his wife Lydia however was perfectly cast but because of her motives you really despise her more than Howard Saint which is problematic to the buildup to the climax. Travolta does his best in the role and there are some notable strong scenes with him such as the "Bowie knife" at Quinton's house. Overall he was badly miscast though.
Thomas Jane seems like an ideal Punisher on the surface but ultimately he is just too cardboard in his portrayal. As the audience we don't feel his pain enough despite a hilarious giant fan in his apartment which apparently only runs at night in slow motion during his "drinking sorrow scenes". For car lovers like me Castle's GTO and the hit man's Roadrunner (which eventually becomes his) are fun to see on screen. I was disappointed however to hear they initially planned a longer chase between these 2 muscle cars. The guitar playing hitman scene is definitely one of the biggest strong points of the film, well acted and well done on most every level. If you haven't seen the film look up just that scene on Youtube!
Thomas Jane seems like an ideal Punisher on the surface but ultimately he is just too cardboard in his portrayal. As the audience we don't feel his pain enough despite a hilarious giant fan in his apartment which apparently only runs at night in slow motion during his "drinking sorrow scenes". For car lovers like me Castle's GTO and the hit man's Roadrunner (which eventually becomes his) are fun to see on screen. I was disappointed however to hear they initially planned a longer chase between these 2 muscle cars. The guitar playing hitman scene is definitely one of the biggest strong points of the film, well acted and well done on most every level. If you haven't seen the film look up just that scene on Youtube!