Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Lionsgate released The Punisher in 2004 as a gritty relaunch of Marvel's vigilante property, arriving after the character's uneven 1989 outing and well before the MCU reshaped comic adaptations. Thomas Jane starred as Frank Castle, and the film leaned into hard-edged revenge cinema rather than superhero spectacle, drawing a dedicated cult following who valued its willingness to sit in violence and grief rather than quips. It remains a touchstone for fans who prefer their comic properties played straight, R-rated, and unapologetically bleak.
This cell centers on the bridge sequence involving the Pontiac GTO, a signature set piece tied directly to Castle's arc of loss and retribution. The car itself carries symbolic weight as a relic of his former life, and its burnout on the bridge marks a pivotal turn in the story's momentum. For collectors, this is a keepsake from one of the film's most visually referenced action beats, a physical fragment of a moment fans return to when discussing the picture's identity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of The Punisher (2004).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a separate digital data region (consistent with a Dolby Digital or DTS timecode strip) visible in the narrow band between the perforations and the image.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers clearly.
Base & colour
The base shows a cyan-blue tint typical of a colour release print; the dye image reads as a strong blue-dominant colour negative appearance, consistent with the strip being viewed emulsion-side up on the light panel.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines are visible running through the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
The image is a colour positive print; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of a 2004 feature film.
Era check
The variable-area optical track combined with what appears to be a digital soundtrack strip and the cyan-base colour stock are all consistent with a mid-2000s theatrical release print, matching the 2004 release date of the film on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000064377
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
