Daniel Robert Epstein: Thomas Jane is THE PUNISHER

I liked this guy in Deep Blue Sea (even thought the movie was not so good) and am happy to see he's getting more exposure. He said some interesting things that article. Nice interview.

the movie was actually pretty good , i saw it cause kill bill was sold out but walked away satisfied.

I love Thomas Jane. Since The Sweetest theng and Dreamcatcher.

What he said in that interveiw is true, this movie was made for Punisher fans, closer to the Garth Ennis Punisher fans. It's a genre film, and a comic-based film. There are always the complainers, and the lovers... I'm a lover, this year's comic-based movies are amazing by far. Punisher and Hellboy... thank you Thomas Jane and Ron Pearlman

So are we, as a website, anti-Dolph Lundgren?

God, I hope not.

"I must break you."

The movie was so damn far from the Ennis Punisher, but that's not Jane's fault. Ennis has rejuvenated a Reagan-era revenge-fantasy by making no bones about the fact that Frank Castle is a sadistic, evil, mass-murderer. He has no soul. I think that with a character like this you gotta run with it like Ennis, it's gotta have a comedy factor. The movie was pretty appalling...

Ladies and gentleman welcome to the annual "Suck in your gut" championships

thanks for the interview!

he seems to have made some really good points in the films, that no matter what they do fans are going to pick at it depending on which 'version' of the punisher they like. im not a particulary big fan of the punisher comics, but the source material does interest me. and the trailer looks very good. i wish they would make a green lantern film....

Great interview. It's great to hear from an actor that had more than just a passing familiarity with the material.
I think I still have some Punisher comics somewhere (haven't gone through my boxes in forever).
Great movie as well. Saw KBV2 the same weekend; interesting contrast.

Great interview, the movie was actually very good as well. I saw it not expecting too much, which made it all the more enjoyable to watch. They captured Castle's character very well, I thought..

I've been a huge fan of the Punisher comics for many years now (even despite the ultra-lame mid to late `90's period the comic went through). I've been kinda mixed about seeing this movie. I was looking forward to it, but I also had reservations about it as well. Knowing Hollywood's tendancy to fuck things up I haven't been expecting much. But after reading Thomas Jane's interview here I'm really looking forward to seeing it. I think I'll try to catch it this weekend.

Great interview, good questions.
Unfortunately, having seen the movie and being a Punisher fan since I was in fourth grade, I can say with a good deal of confidence that Thomas Jane is not the fucking Punisher. The new story doesn't even make sense. Where the fuck in the FBI do you learn to kill people like a navy s.e.a.l.? That's a small thing, I know, but having been a soldier is integral to Frank's character. NEW FUCKING YORK is integral to Frank's character. Who the hell wears all black clothes and kevlar in a Miami summer?

And I can't believe he refered to the Lundgren movie as "Punisher in name only."
Kettle. Pot. Black.
'Nuff said.

Ah yes, "Deep Blue Sea," that's what it was called. I always referred to it as "Smart Shark."

Nice interview. I so flipped when I found out he was playing Frank Castle. I love Thomas Jane and I believe he did a fine job. I'm a Punisher fan and it really bothers me NOT that they changed the story some. Its a fucking MOVIE. When do they NOT change shit? This must be accepted before going into the theatre.

Here's a bone that needs picking:

Fuck that. Frank Castle has a very specific code of conduct and ethics. And Jane said they took a lot from War Journal. War Journal showed us Castle not only as a vigilante anti-hero, but a character tormented and introspective.. punishing not only criminals for the death of his family, but himself as well. There are strong emotions under the surface. A stone cold killer would be fucking garbage and uninteresting. And we've already seen that movie. Its called Cobra

I'm going to put some scans in my profile now of good classic Punisher War Journal reads if anyone is interested.

And anyone who likes Thomas Jane should see Original Sin with Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas. Jane has a good part and its a kickass movie.. and not just cuz Angelina gets naked! Or even more on the drama side is a movie called Molly.. Molly is played by Elizabeth Shue. Jane has an average size part. But the movie is good. Sad though..

[Edited on Apr 21, 2004 by NG_Resonance]

To me the whole notion of the Punisher was that as soon as obtained retribution for his family he'd passed some kind of moral boundary, he is no longer a character, just an embodiment of the concept of punishment, which hits it right on the head as far as I'm concerned.

Originally I had no desire to see this movie, but after reading this interview, I might check it out.

Excellent interview Mr. Epstein.

Outstanding interview. If nothing else, Thomas Jane certainly LOOKS the part. The skull-shirt is a nice, and necessary touch. The Punisher is the Id unleashed: the personification of vengeance. The law, in it's majesty, lets the guilty go free too damned often, for technical reasons. The Punisher, like his forebear, The Executioner ( virtual twins, you could say) won't stand for that nonsense.Someone does you dirty, take them down, and fuck the rules. Like Bronson's Paul Kersey in the "Death Wish" sagas, there comes a time when you have to say, "I've had enough of this shit, time to kick ass!"

Reading the interview just makes me never want to participate in a big budget movie. Thomas obviously has his ideas when entering the project and seems very involved in the process of portraying such a multi-layered character.

And what happens?
Too many chefs!

This is why I'm glad that Jordans prequel to the WOT-series, "new spring", is being released in the form of a graphical novel. Which to my way of thinking is about the best way of visualising a good script nowadays.

No matter what you think of the LOTR- trilogy, we should fucking erect a statue over Mr. Jackson and his team for being the first people to prevail over a overcrowded studio system.

*waves his fist at Hollywood execs*