Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
The Punisher (2004) arrived through Lionsgate as a hard-edged reimagining of Marvel's vigilante mythos, released in an era when comic adaptations still leaned toward R-rated grit rather than franchise polish. Starring Thomas Jane as Frank Castle, it carved its own space apart from the MCU, appealing to fans drawn to darker, standalone antihero stories rooted in loss and retribution.
This cell isolates Frank Castle, the former soldier turned one-man war on organized crime, in a moment described simply as being in action. For collectors, this is the character's defining register: not backstory or aftermath, but the sustained, relentless work of the Punisher doing what he does. A cell like this preserves that core identity on film, a single frame from the reel capturing the character mid-mission, the essence collectors seek when assembling his screen history.
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 frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as a two-track variable-area format; Dolby Digital data blocks are not clearly distinguishable at this size, and no DTS timecode line or SDDS outer-edge tracks are visible in this capture.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears warm with no obvious red shift or significant fading.
Projection history
Light vertical 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 consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of The Punisher (2004).
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive print stock with cyan-tinted base, and perforation layout 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 000064411
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
