Extreme ultra-violence is the order of the day in this cracking live action thriller, a spot-on adaptation of Marvel Comics’ roughest, toughest vigilante hero, The Punisher. Those who remember the terrible 1989 version starring Dolph Lundgren can rest assured that this time they’ve got it right. Deep Blue Sea’s Thomas Jane takes the lead as bitter ex-cop Frank Castle, righting wrongs with bullets and bombs, a pro-active enemy of injustice with nothing left to lose after his entire family is massacred by ice-cold mobster Howard Saint (John Travolta). Vengeance is sworn, plans are hatched, and lives are taken one by one as Castle sets about obliterating Saint’s criminal empire. Jane and Travolta are extremely well matched as hero and villain, both firmly committed to their cause, be it justice or evil. Either way, heads roll. It’s a brutal, gory film, no doubt about that, a welcome return to the unapologetically over-the-top style of Eighties actioners. Like those earlier movies it’s also very funny, not always deliberately but either way it works, a wild, outrageous ride full of thrills and bloody spills. Best of all the battles is an extended scuffle between Castle and a hulking Russian assassin (Kevin Nash), as nasty as it is hilarious. Just add popcorn.

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