Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Released in 2004 through Lionsgate, The Punisher arrived as part of a wave of Marvel adaptations still finding their footing before the genre's blockbuster era took hold. Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh and starring Thomas Jane in the title role, the film leaned into hard-edged vigilante action rather than superhero spectacle, drawing on the character's long comic history. It also carries a curious lineage: Dolph Lundgren had played the same role in the 1989 version, making this a franchise with two distinct screen incarnations of Frank Castle.
This cell, drawn from 35mm printed stock, gathers Frank Castle across his screen history, naming both Thomas Jane and Dolph Lundgren as the man behind the skull. For collectors, that dual presence is the draw: a single frame line spanning two eras of the same vigilante, tied together under one identity. "In Action" points to Castle in his defining mode, the Punisher at work rather than at rest, the moment the character exists to deliver. It is a lineage piece as much as a scene piece, valuable for connecting two performances of one enduring figure.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of The Punisher (2004)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or deformed holes visible
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a two-track variable-area format; Dolby Digital data blocks are not clearly distinguishable at this size
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
The base carries a cyan-blue tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image reads with a cool, slightly blue-shifted cast
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines consistent with projection wear are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks are seen
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, cyan-base colour print stock, and four-perforation 35mm format are all consistent with a 2004 theatrical release print
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 000064406
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
