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 the early-2000s wave of gritty comic book adaptations that leaned into revenge thriller territory rather than traditional superhero spectacle. Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh and starring Thomas Jane as Frank Castle, the film sits alongside efforts like Blade and Daredevil as Marvel properties tested outside the Spider-Man and X-Men mainstream. It has since gathered a dedicated following among fans of hard-edged, R-rated comic cinema, prized for its practical stunt work and unapologetic tone during a transitional period in the genre.
This cell preserves a strip from the reel featuring Mickey Duka, the nervous informant and neighbor to Castle in his apartment building, a role filled with small betrayals and comic unease that made the character memorable among supporting players. Collectors drawn to this cell are often assembling a fuller picture of the film's ensemble beyond its lead, valuing Duka's presence as a marker of the story's street-level texture. A 35mm cell like this represents a physical fragment of the actual projected print, a tactile piece of the film's theatrical run rather than a reproduction.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical 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 look clean throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a hybrid optical/Dolby Digital soundtrack area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote alphanumeric codes reliably.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight cyan-teal tint consistent with a modern safety stock; dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light vertical scratch lines are visible running through the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of The Punisher (2004).
Era check
The hybrid Dolby Digital pixel-block track combined with variable-area optical track and cyan-tinted polyester safety base is consistent with a mid-2000s theatrical release print, matching the 2004 release date 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 000064439
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
