Trivia: While framing Livia as having an affair, Frank keeps the same parking spot open by putting a fake fire hydrant in the spot when not there to keep anybody else from parking in that spot. This was included in the movie by Jonathan Hensleigh, who had a friend in real life that used this trick to illegally have free parking for two years in the same spot by using a fake hydrant.
Trivia: Thomas Jane actually rejected the role of The Punisher twice before finally accepting, as he was trying to avoid getting involved with superhero movies. However, Jonathan Hensleigh was determined to get Jane in the role, as he was his first and only choice.
Trivia: While filming the knife fight scene, Thomas Jane accidentally stabbed Kevin Nash.
Trivia: The guitar player, Harry Heck, is loosely based on the comic character created by Ennis, Dillon, and Palmiotti. His full name is Harry "Heck" Thornton, and he's a southern gun fighter. In the comic, Thornton is an assassin hired to kill the Punisher.
Trivia: Although this is actually the third film to co-star Thomas Jane and John Travolta after "Face/Off" (1997) and "The Thin Red Line" (1998), it's the first in which they share any screen time.
Trivia: Thomas Jane did most of his own stunts. Dolph Lundgren, who played Frank Castle in The Punisher (1989), also did his own stunts.
Trivia: Saint's mansion that is supposed to be in Tampa is actually on Lake Tarpon in Tarpon Springs, Florida, across the bay from Tampa.
Trivia: In the years following its release, the specific skull logo used in this film had been co-opted by Blue Lives Matter advocates and American far-right conservatives, including some of the Capitol insurrectionists of January 6th. Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway and Jon Bernthal - who would later portray the Punisher in the Netflix series - have criticized these groups for misunderstanding and appropriating the character. Punisher #13, which was released in July 2019, even had a scene that depicted the Punisher beating up and admonishing cops who idolized him. Daredevil: Born Again in 2025 did the same.
Trivia: This film has an unofficial short film sequel called "Dirty Laundry," which sees Thomas Jane reprising the role of Frank Castle and is significantly more brutal in its violence than this film.
Trivia: Dave is a character from the Welcome Back Frank comics and has facial piercings in that issue. To be more comic accurate, actor Ben Foster got his face actually pierced IRL before filming his part. Some serious dedication to the role.
Trivia: The earrings that Howard Saint gives to his wife in the film were actually real earrings and not fake ones for the movie. They were actual real Harry Winston diamonds and apparently worth a million dollars, and were used as a prop on set.
Trivia: As Frank is holding his dead family in his arms on the dock, you can see that his thumb is looking kind of strange and grey, with his thumbnail being grey. This is because, not long before filming this scene, Frank's actor, Thomas Jane, got his thumb stuck in a door in real life, and it had not yet fully healed.
Trivia: The mansion used for the Howard Saint family (John Travolta) was actually the mansion from former NBA player Matt Geiger, who allowed the film crew to use his home for the set filming of this movie.
Trivia: Professional wrestler Kevin Nash, who portrays the Russian, had long hair for several years prior to making this film. At the time he was working for WWE, and he engaged in a mini feud with Chris Jericho, which culminated in the two competing in a hair versus hair match, with the loser having their long locks cut off by the victor. Nash tipped off that he would lose the match prior to the start by having his brunette hair already bleached blonde to match the Russian's look.
Trivia: Thomas Jane dyed his blonde hair black in order to play The Punisher, and then, ironically, had to wear a blonde wig for the film's opening scene.
Answer: Jimmy is drowning in massive gambling debt and has had to resort to selling everything of value he owns as well as steal money from evidence lockers to help pay his debt down. He has nothing to live for and is merely going through the motions of life, and coupled with his guilt over selling out Frank and getting his family killed, Frank concludes Jimmy needs to take his fate in his own hands.
Phaneron ★