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 part of a mid-2000s effort to bring darker Marvel properties to screen before the studio system fully embraced the superhero genre. Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh and starring Thomas Jane in the title role, the film leaned into crime-thriller violence rather than spectacle, positioning itself against a rogues' gallery of organized crime rather than costumed villains. John Travolta's presence as the antagonist gave the production a marquee draw, and the film has since found a cult following among fans who prefer this grittier, R-rated take on Frank Castle's war against the underworld.
This cell centers on Howard Saint, the crime boss whose empire and family become the target of Castle's vendetta. Travolta's performance anchors the film's antagonist role, making Saint a natural focal point for collectors tracing the picture's power dynamics. A cell built around this character alone speaks to his standing as the engine of the plot, the man whose choices set the entire revenge narrative into motion, independent of any other figure sharing the frame.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of The Punisher (2004).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three 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; no Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode line, or SDDS outer-edge tracks are discernible in this capture.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any manufacturer code, key number, or SAFETY FILM legend.
Base & colour
The base carries a blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image reads with a cool, slightly blue-shifted cast.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are apparent; faint longitudinal lines on the base suggest the strip has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames of a single shot, consistent with a release print of The Punisher (2004).
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive print stock with cyan base tint, and four-perforation 35mm format are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s.
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 000064388
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
