Do-it-yourself justice

It is Castle's undercover work that leads to the accidental death of Saint's son. The crime boss decides to have his entire extended family murdered. In an unbearably disturbing scene at the beginning of the movie, about 20 defenseless men, women and children of Castle's clan get slaughtered by Saint's henchmen.

Castle somehow survives the brutal assault and after his body heals, he plots a clever and meticulous revenge upon those who have wronged him. Like many movies of this ilk, the bad guys neglect to finish the job on our hero, leaving him enough life and rage to return the favor. And does he ever.

Jane ("Dreamcatcher"), is superb as the deeply wounded and enraged Castle. He has all the physical tools and looks to open an action flick. He also adds the extra dimension of decent acting and emotive range. Plus, he even shows off an articulate command of the English language beyond the monosyllabic.

Of course, the action movie hero seldom requires the use of esoteric terminology or Shakespearean style soliloquies. Screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh, who has several blockbusters to his credit ("Die Hard with a Vengeance"), relies a little too much on corny. But considering the genre, it's acceptable and injects the movie with a sense of humor that helps offset the bleakness of the violence.

Villainy is portrayed superbly by John Travolta ("Face/Off") who is in full eccentric gangster boss mode in this movie. It is enjoyable to watch Travolta's scene-chewing as his character's life falls apart piece by piece thanks to Castle's physical and psychological payback plan.

Hensleigh, in his directorial debut, and his production staff accurately capture the unique flavor of the comic book. The Punisher, first introduced in the '70s in a "Spiderman" storyline, was one of the first superheroes who did not boast special powers or mutant abilities.

Instead, he relies on special training, technologically advanced weaponry and of course, the rage of a terribly wronged victim. While his spectacular fighting skills are out of reach of most common people, he's certainly easier to relate to than someone who shoots webs from his wrists or leaps tall buildings in a single bound.

It was also one of the first comics to portray realistic violence and bloodshed. The Punisher was a vigilante who was willing to kill the criminals, instead of relying on the police and courts to hand out justice. And let's just say, the Punisher is not shy or inhibited about doling out punishment to those who deserve it.

Thanks to both the normalcy of the hero and the creative violence with which he disposes of villains, "The Punisher" comic has always enjoyed great popularity among readers. And thanks to this movie and a sequel already in the works, so too should the big screen version.

Depending on the success of the franchise, lead actor Jane just might challenge for the title of Hollywood's action hero king, now that the former champ is working a government job in Sacramento. One thing's for sure: Dolph Lundgren won't be any competition.