The Punisher: Dirty Laundry

The Punisher: Dirty Laundry, is a short film that is nothing but awesome fan service. Seriously, I've been waiting for the day that Thomas Jane embodies Frank Castle again. This right here is that sequel we always wanted. Unfortunately, it is only a 10 minute long short. But, we get some nice stuff here.

The Good: Tom Jane is the perfect Punisher. He is so dang good in the role! His performance is out of this world! Also, nice Ron Perlman cameo! Very cool. The story here is very Punisher-esque, along with the ideals of punishment and justice that Frank speaks of at the end and with Perlman's character. Nice photography as well. I love the new Punisher logo too!

The Bad: Since this is a short film, the blood and gun effects are pretty lousy. We also get some over the top violence that I think even Garth Ennis would not write into his books. It's violent alright, but not the violence I enjoyed from the 2004 film. It's bloody and gory, but too more gore and they lose me. Also, the score is the Dark Knight score. It pulls me right out of the story when I hear it used here. Wish they used something else, oh well.

Overall, this is Thomas Jane as The Punisher again. Need I say more?

This is one of those "I've just had enough" films where the guy finally gets out there and takes care of business. The Punisher wants to mind his own business, sleeping in his van, doing his laundry at a coin laundry. People are raped and attacked behind him. But finally he has to act. I don't know the character, so I can't speak with any true knowledge of him. Just that he is silent and sort of depressed. Well done for what it is.

I think what happened to the "Punisher" franchise over the past decade has been a shame. I personally thought that 2004's "The Punisher" (starring Thomas Jane) was a fantastic adaptation of the comic, boasting a great tone and a wonderful interpretation of the character. Evidently, the studios didn't like it so much. After teasing a sequel for some time, the series was rebooted with "Punisher: War Zone"- a weird, hyper-stylized, low-budget freak-show of a film that had a lot of nice moments, but was just too silly and weird and questionably constructed for its own good.

And it was a shame for fans like myself, who yearned to see a follow up to the 2004 film. The reboot came (and subsequently under-performed at the box office), and it seemed we'd never get to see more of Jane's take on the character.

Cut to 2012, with "The Punisher: Dirty Laundry." A fantastic short film from director Phil Joanou, in which Jane is finally able to reprise his role from his previous outing. (Although it's never specifically made clear that this is the same "Punisher", I believe the implication is that this is indeed set in the same "universe" as the 2004 film) We follow Frank Castle, aka "The Punisher" as he observes the dark events in the city around him, and contemplates whether or not to take action and punish the corruption and crime around him.

Everything in this short works quite well. Jane and the other performers present (including a small role from Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman) give awesome, evocative performances that hit the material home. Direction by Joanou is very strong and slick for such a small production. The script by Chad St. John hits just the right tone, and is suitably claustrophobic and oppressive. The setting and look is perfect for the script and character. Everything gels fairly well.

That being said, there are a few detractors here. The film's direction, while quite good, does fall into the annoying "shaky cam" style a few times too many. (I wish we could be rid of shaky-cam style camera-work for a few years, honestly) And the music... is very... distracting! It fits the mood perfectly, but the fact is the score for this short was taken from Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight", and it can't help but pull you out at times. I honestly thought Heath Ledger's Joker character was going to pop up at some point, because once you hear his iconic theme in the background, he's almost all you can think about. It's a shame, because the tone and style of the music is just perfect for this film, but because it's already well-known and notable music, it does more harm than good.

Those complaints being said (and that complaint about the music is actually a pretty big issue, even though it seems like it should be inconsequential), this is still a great short film. And a great follow- up for fans who wanted to see more of Jane in the role of The Punisher. It re-invigorated my hopes for future "Punisher" projects in a way that I hadn't experienced since I first saw the 2004 film. And I hope the strong fan reception of the short leads to more "Punisher" projects (whether they be shorts or perhaps another film) with Jane.

I give "The Punisher: Dirty Laundry" a very strong 8 out of 10. Fans of the character (and 2004 film) should definitely check it out. As should anyone looking for a fast, dark ride.

I'm watching this fresh off a(nother) disappointing viewing of 2004's "The Punisher", so there's really nowhere to go but up, right? Especially when it's only a 10-minute running time. Either way, "The Punisher: Dirty Laundry", lean, mean and minimalist, finally lets Frank Castle get down to the business of kicking some ass. All of the necessary brooding and none of the lame villains, no milquetoast sadism - hell, the real fun here is watching Thomas Jane take a whiskey bottle to the heads of a street gang (with the requisite blood sprays). It's quick, to the point, and violently satisfying.

It's a sad state of affairs when Hollywood can't do (in three movies!) what a YouTube video can.

7/10

This ten-minute homage to The Punisher is a fan-film, but a fan-film made by professionals. The Punisher is played by Thomas Jane, an actor who played him in the 2004 movie. There's also Ron Perlman, and others are professional actors too. The director is not famous, but he is experienced. Phil Joanou has previously directed about twenty films, series and music videos, including Bon Jovi's "Keep the Faith" and a bunch of videos for U2. The movie infringes on Punisher's copyright and uses music from "The Dark Knight" (2008), so it's only been released on YouTube and it's a wonder that it wasn't removed already.

The story is simple, realistic and brutal, and gives a better characterization of Frank Castle than the Marvel films. The film is very well made and, after this, all three feature films in Marvel production look lame. It would be fantastic if this crew would get an opportunity to shoot a full-length feature film and make a proper adaptation of The Punisher.

8/10