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The Punisher - The Real Budget and Production Info

post #1 of 36
11/30/06 at 11:09am
Thread Starter 
I know some (crazy) people at Chud care about this movie, so...

Quote:
NRAMA: In terms of the larger view of the production, why was this movie shot in Tampa Florida as opposed to a city that looks more like New York like Toronto or Vancouver?

JH: With the budget we had we knew didn’t have the money to shoot it in Manhattan. We knew we were going to move it out of Manhattan. We just simply had no money. Look, this has never been reported but if you want hard statistics on the shooting of this film. It’s quoted widely that the picture was made for 30 or 32 million dollars. That’s not the case. The amount of money required over 50 days to actually shoot the images, our below the line costs, excluding the salaries we paid to the actors and all the other costs, was $13.5 million.

NRAMA: Wow…that’s pretty…cheap.

JH: The post production on it was about a million and a half. In other words, the shooting and all the post production, was probably about $15.5 million.

NRAMA: For an action film that’s really low.

JH: Yeah, so one would ask, “Well where did all the money go?” Well, you have John Travolta and all of the other actors and then, because it was an Artisan film and not a real studio film, we had to have a bond in contingency, which was ten percent and that ended up being $3.5 million. A bond in contingency is when you have to pay an insurance company that bonds the movie, in other words if you can’t finish, you have to have a contingency. We had a huge contingency on the film. Then there were all these ridiculous executive producer credits. All of this money went to all these various producers. I was just actually staring at the official budget because we’re figuring out the profit/loss margins on the film right now.

So we had unbelievably tight financial constraints on this movie and at the very end the powers that be decided that the Kuwait scene couldn’t be done for the money we had in the budget so it was pulled out. We had to reconfigure the script accordingly right at the end of the schedule.

NRAMA: I always thought that $30 million was a lot for Lionsgate to spend on one film.

JH: Well remember, it’s not Lionsgate. It was Artisan so Lionsgate did not greenlight the film. Lionsgate had nothing to do with the film. They purchased Artisan while we were shooting and then their marketing people decided to release the movie against Kill Bill.

NRAMA: It was an odd choice to release it against Kill Bill, wasn’t it?

JH: I’m not going to respond to that.

There’s no possible way you could shoot the script that I wrote in Toronto for $13 million. There’s just no way. You couldn’t shoot it in an urban environment with city lockdown. I don’t know if you’re aware of what’s required to lock down an urban environment, but the costs are extraordinary. The reason why Tampa was chosen was because Tampa wanted to incite film production in its city. So they basically allowed us to do anything and allowed us to do it for free. So Tampa PD became kind of our second ADs. We said to the mayor’s office and the film commission, “Hey we want to shut down the entire downtown between the hours of seven am and six pm on the weekdays” with just 48 hours notice. They said “Sure. Go ahead.” It could be done in Toronto but it would be eight times the cost.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=92646
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post #2 of 36
11/30/06 at 11:36am
I think producers know far more about budgets than directors. And usually, particularly with a disappointment like "The Punisher", they aren't talking. I knew the movie looked cheap, but $15 million is something I'm not buying.
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post #3 of 36
11/30/06 at 1:34pm
His wife was one of the producers, I am guessing he has more insight than the typical director working on a film.
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post #4 of 36
11/30/06 at 3:23pm
On the DVD commentary I believe Hensleigh said $28 million, but maybe that included other stuff. Clearly it was a pretty cheap production though. I mean, the car chase in the middle was only about 30 seconds long.
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post #5 of 36
11/30/06 at 3:26pm
Oh, kingdaywalker, no one actually speaks to their wives!
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post #6 of 36
11/30/06 at 6:35pm
And this film continues to get worse and worse.
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post #7 of 36
11/30/06 at 9:48pm
The cartoon of the Desert Storm sequence that is attached to the extended cut DVD isn't all that bad, actually. It's really a damn shame, because in the hands of a more skilled director, The Punisher would be an interesting property to commit to film. I still think Tom Jane's performance was way above par for everything else in that shit fest.

In related news, Tom Jane's prolonged cinematic hiatus is reportedly due to the intense shooting schedule of THE PUNISHER 2, currently filming on location in Patricia Arquette's basement.
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post #8 of 36
12/1/06 at 2:30am
The animated opening is nice but it really just makes you wish they could have filmed it instead. They bring Jane and some other actors back, they have all this high-tech equipment to help animate them, and they hired Tim Bradstreet to aid in the process. Why not just scale down the scene a bit in scope and do it for real?

As for the extended cut, I like it overall. There are a couple extra Travolta scenes that are useless and should have been left out. But the added plot involving Castle's FBI partner work well here. There's even a little bit of dialogue in the scene where Castle "announces" he's still alive that helps that part not seem as silly as it did originally.

If you hated the film before then this cut won't change your mind. But if you liked it before then it's worth checking out at the very least as a rental.
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post #9 of 36
12/2/06 at 3:39am
Are there any new action scenes, or is it just dialogue?
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post #10 of 36
12/2/06 at 7:27am
em, maybe they'd have more money to play with if they didn't cast john 'overpaid box-office poison' travolta? i wonder how much he got paid for that?

the movie is poor, saved from being shite by tom jane's performance and one rather good fight scene.

shame, really, because the property had potential
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post #11 of 36
12/2/06 at 9:54am
Surprisingly enough, I actually enjoyed The Punisher. Any word on the sequel? Is it getting made, or what?
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post #12 of 36
12/2/06 at 4:14pm
There are sequel rumors that pop up every now and again. The last one being Jane talking about a new script being finished and handed in soon, with his hope being that cameras could roll by February which seems unlikely now. The problem is that the only person who says anything about a sequel is Jane. When Lionsgate or even Marvel mentions it then that news would be more tangible.

If they ever do a sequel they're going to need to get a director who can get some bang for his buck. Based on RUNNING SCARED I think Wayne Krammer is that type of guy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Wood
Are there any new action scenes, or is it just dialogue?
The plot with Castle and his former partner comes to a violent end but it's not a set piece or anything. The way it concludes is much more Punisher-like than the scenes where he's making crank calls to Will Patton and planting earrings in Patton's bed.

There's action in the animated sequence but like I said before it just makes you wish it had been filmed.
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post #13 of 36
12/3/06 at 3:38am
Despite the overall shittiness of THE PUNISHER, I think we can all admit that the set piece with The Russian was a thing of beauty. I can't believe I'm saying it, but Kevin "Big Daddy Cool Diesel" Nash actually was a more memorable presence in a movie than John Travolta.
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post #14 of 36
12/3/06 at 3:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonard
Despite the overall shittiness of THE PUNISHER, I think we can all admit that the set piece with The Russian was a thing of beauty. I can't believe I'm saying it, but Kevin "Big Daddy Cool Diesel" Nash actually was a more memorable presence in a movie than John Travolta.
That was no big challenge here. Travolta put almost no effort into this one. I agree that fight is superb. If only the rest of the film were as good.
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post #15 of 36
12/3/06 at 4:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Wood
That was no big challenge here. Travolta put almost no effort into this one. I agree that fight is superb. If only the rest of the film were as good.
I liked the creepy Johnny Cash hitman.
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post #16 of 36
12/3/06 at 4:33am
I dug the final shootout sequence in the nightclub, and Jane's dispatch of the gangster with the slicer.

The fight with the Russian was a violent work of art.
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post #17 of 36
12/3/06 at 3:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 70sCinema
I liked the creepy Johnny Cash hitman.
Harry Heck was his handle. When he strums the acoustic in the cafe and does that shtick about playing it at Frank Castle's funeral, it's so hilariously corny that it somehow becomes sort of cool. Plus, the song he performs isn't that bad.
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post #18 of 36
12/3/06 at 3:26pm
I dig that song too. One of the nice changes in this new cut is the end credits begin with that song instead of whatever heavy metal thing they played in the theatrical cut. I heard that song in conjunction with some other movie or TV show recently but I can't remember what it was.

The action in the movie is fine. It's all the business of Castle getting Saint's people to turn on each other that was lame. They also screwed up with the family massacre. Aside from Castle's wife, son, and father I don't really have a connection with the rest of his family. If his 2nd cousin gets shot in a sailboat it looks more funny than tragic.

I will say that the scene of his wife and son getting run down was handled better than the rest of that sequence. Call it homage or theft but it definitely had a MAD MAX feel to it.
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post #19 of 36
12/3/06 at 3:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonard
Harry Heck was his handle. When he strums the acoustic in the cafe and does that shtick about playing it at Frank Castle's funeral, it's so hilariously corny that it somehow becomes sort of cool. Plus, the song he performs isn't that bad.
Which is why iTunes won't let you buy the fucking thing by itself. You have to get the whole album. Dicks.

Damn it, I'm curious to watch this thing in spite of myself. Like the Daredevil director's Cut. Every time I see it marked down I think "maybe", then don't. It's an itch.
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post #20 of 36
12/4/06 at 2:00am
i have nothing but love for this movie.

horribly misunderstood. definitely destined for unfairly maligned action movie classics.
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post #21 of 36
12/4/06 at 2:50am
I like the Harry Heck song and the other 3 rock songs in the end credits. When I heard that Circuit City was offering a 3 song CD with the original DVD release I raced out to buy it. But of course none of those songs were on it. I'll be damned if I'm going to buy that soundtrack, most of which I'd rather not hear again.
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post #22 of 36
12/7/06 at 10:45pm
My brother downloaded the Harry Heck song via Limewire, and the full version is quite good. I highly recommend illegally downloading it.

Quick question to Fazer: what is horribly misunderstood about THE PUNISHER? I like it too, but I still think it is a very terrible movie with only a handful of redeeming qualities (Tom Jane, The Russian fight scene, final fight scene).
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post #23 of 36
12/7/06 at 11:04pm
Don't forget the car!
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post #24 of 36
12/8/06 at 4:24pm
The car was a nasty little beauty, I must admit.

Those two guys playing the Cuban drug dealers were fucking AWFUL. The whole movie all they did was pretend to be Tony Montana. I've seen better Scarface impressions from Master P on Dancing With the Stars.
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post #25 of 36
12/8/06 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonard
Despite the overall shittiness of THE PUNISHER, I think we can all admit that the set piece with The Russian was a thing of beauty. I can't believe I'm saying it, but Kevin "Big Daddy Cool Diesel" Nash actually was a more memorable presence in a movie than John Travolta.
F**K Travolta. Will Patton should have been the major villain. Then, they coulda used that salary money for better use, like urban environments and action scenes.
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post #26 of 36
12/8/06 at 4:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonard
Those two guys playing the Cuban drug dealers were fucking AWFUL. The whole movie all they did was pretend to be Tony Montana. I've seen better Scarface impressions from Master P on Dancing With the Stars.
The worst part of all is that they didn't get killed. Why have guys like that in a Punisher movie and not show them die in a brutal manner?
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post #27 of 36
12/8/06 at 6:55pm
I still don't know why they couldn't adapt the origin of the Punisher, and just update it to modern times, since they didn't seem to have the budget to set it in the 70's, and in New York. I got the extended cut as part of the DDD 20% off sale, and I still haven't viewed it, but the blurb on the back that states that it's a movie true to it's Marvel Comics origins makes me frown.

If it was indeed true, then they would have set it in 1976, in New York, and had Billy Russo, Skinner, and The Costa brothers. Instead we get Howard Saint, his sociopathic wife, and a useless plot to bring him down. This part of the plot makes sense in the end, that he would do this to make Saint kill the one's that were loyal to him, but doing all of that to bring Saint down is not something that The Punisher would do at all.
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post #28 of 36
12/8/06 at 6:57pm
Is SPIDER-MAN a bad adaptation because it isn't set in the early 1960s?
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post #29 of 36
12/8/06 at 8:12pm
I think the implication is that the Punisher is less of a character than Spider-Man and really suffers when adapted to other time periods (2099, anyone?). Can a guy like the Punisher continue to operate under the radar in the age of, say, Youtube? Doubt it. But Spidey's a web-slinger. Until the planet declares war on bugs (most likely after the Klendathu incident), he'll be timeless.
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post #30 of 36
12/8/06 at 11:02pm
I just don't see how the Punisher would be able to stand wearing a leather trenchcoat in Tampa without using three Speed Sticks per day.
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post #31 of 36
12/9/06 at 3:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonard
I just don't see how the Punisher would be able to stand wearing a leather trenchcoat in Tampa without using three Speed Sticks per day.
That's just another one of his deadly weapons. Actually Hensleigh says in the commentary that there was constant rain during the Tampa shoot, so maybe the coat had a purpose after all.

I think the only reason the 70s holds special meaning for the Punisher is because he was a Nam vet. Having the Gulf War on the resume isn't quite the same, but all that really matters is that he's a grizzled vet.

The film has several big problems, but I wouldn't place setting among them.
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post #32 of 36
12/14/06 at 10:52pm
I liked the movie, despite how bad it was. I mean come on, at least they made a Punisher movie, and it did have entertaining parts. Although I have yet to read a Punisher comic book, that will change after Christmas because of this movie. I just think that it has potential in any sequels that it (hopefully) spawns.
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post #33 of 36
12/15/06 at 3:29am
I liked Harry Heck's shotgun.The movie was not entertaining in the least,I was bored to tears.I don't know what you guys are talking about with the Russian fight...that was awful.I was waiting for him to pull out a machine gun and unload on him,and he meets his demise by a pot of boiling water and some stairs?The end shootout was kid stuff,not the squib porn i was looking forward too.And he slits some guards throat or something and it cuts to the thinnest line of blood splattering on a wall I've ever seen.Then we have Travolta's death...Wow.The Punisher definitely wanted to send a message with that one.
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post #34 of 36
12/17/06 at 11:44pm
C'mon, the Russian fight scene was great. He threw him THROUGH A FUCKING WALL and blew up his bathroom with a grenade. The blend of over-the-top violence and slapstick comedy in that scene is unparalleled in any action movie in the last decade. As to The Russian's demise...it isn't that much of a step down from being smothered to death by the Punisher's obese neighbor's folds of blubber.

I have to agree that Travolta's death sequence was every possible shade of stupid. Can you imagine how much precise planning would have to go into the formation of a car-bomb Punisher skull? That's hours and hours of prep, obtaining explosives, determining the right amount of plastique to blow the car, calculating the precise spot of each car in relation to the others. And if there were no planes or helicopters flying overhead to catch the symbolism? Total waste of time.
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post #35 of 36
12/18/06 at 4:50pm
I know it's a comic book movie but I remember the explosion being mighty big for a grenade...and the bathtub was perfect cover.

I stopped taking the movie seriously when Thomas Jane said something like "Your Colt 1911s..." to his dad.Something about that line didn't work and made me laugh.
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post #36 of 36
12/20/06 at 3:55pm
I stopped taking the movie seriously when my ass touched the theater seat. It's best viewed not taken seriously. There's your problem right there.
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