Another Superhero Movie

Last weekend my roommate forced me to watch The Punisher. It's about a Marvel superhero with no actual superpowers, just a lot of anger, strength, and White Turkey bourbon. If you take it for what it is, it's not terrible, but I'm not sure I'd say it's a high-quality film.

My main problem with this movie and others like it is the level of believability. A team of gangsters/hit men are seeking revenge for the mob boss' son. They go after the killer, Frank Castle, later a.k.a. The Punisher, and murder his entire family, including his extended family. They finally surround him on a dock. He has nowhere to go, he's already injured, and he has no weapons. a shot is fired into his chest and he collapses. The dock is then doused in gasoline and blown up, sending Frank far out into the ocean. He washes up onto a log or a shore and is discovered, alive, by a sailor who just happens to be passing by.

I didn't allow myself to get too worked up about this convenient series of events because it is a superhero movie, but as a television-radio/film student, I struggle to move past things like that when I watch TV or movies. I notice every detail, every plot choice, and every editing choice, and if I disagree with it, it distracts me from enjoying the movie as a casual consumer.

My favorite part of the movie was the character of Bumpo, played by John Pinette. The first time we see Bumpo, he is in the kitchen making and testing sauce. This struck me on a personal level, as an Italian-American who craves sauce while away at school and away from my mother's cooking, but it also struck me on a comedic level, because the rest of the movie had been so serious and depressing, and then Bumpo shows up, happily cooking and dancing and singing without a care in the world. Every interaction Bumpo has with anyone is humorous, particularly his interactions with his roommate, Dave.

The most hilarious scene in the movie, in my opinion, was when Frank was fighting the Russian in his apartment, violently and loudly, while Bumpo, Dave, and their third roommate, Joan, were next door cooking and dancing and singing an Italian opera song on full volume. The contrast between the two simultaneous events, though happening feet away from each other, and the cutting back and forth from one to the other, was the most interesting part of the movie for me.

Taking it for what it is, a superhero movie, I was generally satisfied with The Punisher. I am a dedicated Avengers fan, so I understand the genre of superhero movies, but this movie is best viewed as a casual consumer rather than a critical viewer.