The Punisher is different from most comic book heroes in that he has no superpowers – only his intelligence and combat experience. This could make for a very human drama, but instead first-time director Jonathan Hensleigh (the successful screenwriter of The Rock, Armageddon, and Die Hard: With a Vengeance) chooses to focus on the spectacle, not the emotions, of comic book revenge. The violence in the film is extreme and graphic, and some of the plot points are so unbelievable that my screening audience laughed. I could forgive implausible scenes in other comic book films like X-Men and Spider-Man because their characters have superpowers (and thus suspending disbelief is required), but The Punisher has no such crutch to fall back on. Still, the film keeps your attention, and for female audience members, the ample views of Tom Jane’s well-toned torso almost make the film worth watching just for that. But in the end, sitting through The Punisher feels a little too much like undeserved punishment.