Frank Castle (Tom Jane) is a man who has seen too much death in his
life, first as a Delta Force Op and later as an FBI special agent.
He has managed to beat considerable odds, and is finally moving out
of the field and into a normal life with his wife, Maria (Samantha
Mathis), and young son, Will (Marcus Johns). On his final
assignment, Castle plays his undercover role perfectly, but the
operation spins out of control and a young man, Bobby Saint (James
Carpinello), is inadvertently killed. This places the FBI on the
wrong side of Tampa businessman Howard Saint (John Travolta) and
his glamorous wife, Livia (Laura Harring). Notwithstanding their
glossy social profile, the Saints are no genteel Florida couple;
behind their copious wealth are violent beginnings, underworld ties
and a chilling capacity for brutality. Inflamed by the death of
their son, the Saints are willing to risk their newfound legitimacy
on a wholesale mission of blood-vengeance. Castle's worst nightmare
is about to come true, as Howard Saint and his lieutenants unleash
hell at the Castle family reunion.
But Castle, to his everlasting torment, survives. Until this
moment, he has spent his entire life adhering strictly to the law.
However, experience has taught him that the law cannot adequately
penalize the people who murdered his family. Drawing upon all he
has learned in 20 years, Castle sets in motion a plan to punish the
murderers. He takes up residence in a dilapidated tenement building
in Tampa's industrial district, where his fellow tenants include
Joan (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), a waitress at a nearby diner who is
trying to put her life back on track; Dave (Ben Foster), a gangly
twenty-something with a face full of piercings; and Mr. Bumpo (John
Pinette), a rotund gourmand who rarely leaves his home.
In preparing his revenge, Castle thoroughly familiarizes himself
with the habits and routines of the Saint family. He traces the
movements not only of Howard and Livia, but also their surviving
son, John (James Carpinello), and Howard's second-in-command,
lawyer Quentin Glass (Will Patton). Armed with this essential
knowledge, Castle launches his first salvo against Saint's business
interests. Stunned that Castle is not only alive but causing him
harm, Howard Saint marshals his forces in an attempt to shut Castle
down. He soon turns to the underworld's network of hired assassins,
recruiting the laconic Memphis legend Harry Heck (Mark Collie) as
well as the blonde behemoth known only as the Russian (Kevin
Nash).
Castle's plan is proceeding apace, but his mission has the
unintended effect of placing his fellow tenement dwellers in
danger. Yet Joan, Dave and Mr. Bumpo rally for their neighbor, even
at great personal risk. This makeshift family forgotten men and
women with no one to protect them brings Castle the one thing he
least expects: redemption. His personal goal achieved, Castle
realizes that his life's work has just begun. As The Punisher, he
will provide justice for ordinary people and exact retribution from
society's villains.
