Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released in 2004 through Lionsgate, The Punisher brought Marvel's grim vigilante back to screens during a transitional era for comic book adaptations, before the genre fully embraced its later blockbuster polish. Thomas Jane took on Frank Castle, a role prized by collectors for its hard-edged, morally bleak take on vengeance, distinct from the more stylized heroes surrounding it in theaters that year. The film leaned into pulp crime aesthetics and practical menace rather than spectacle.
This cell, Castle & Dave, pairs Frank Castle with Dave and Mickey Duka, figures from Castle's apartment building who thread through the story's quieter, character-driven stretches. Collectors seeking this frame are drawn to the connective tissue of the narrative, the human scenes that ground Castle's mission outside the violence. A cell like this preserves an actual celluloid moment from the release print, a tangible artifact of the scene rather than a reproduction, capturing the ordinary interactions that make the Punisher's world feel lived in.
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 appear clean throughout the strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-band wavy line consistent with a stereo optical print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight cyan-teal tint typical of modern safety stock; the dye image appears neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or significant scratches are visible; the strip shows no obvious evidence of heavy projection use.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a release print of a 2004 theatrical feature.
Era check
The cyan-base polyester safety stock, variable-area optical soundtrack format, and perforation style 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 000064445
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
