Dirty Laundry Short Film

Hollywood is a pretty unforgiving place. Screw up once with a potential cash cow and they never let you back in the club. Take Thomas Jane for example. It really wasn’t his fault that 2004′s “The Punisher” turned out to be such a limp affair and a Box Office dud. But when a 3rd (his was the 2nd) version of the Marvel character was re-imagined for the big screen, he was left plain out.

Jane seems convinced that his is THE definitive Punisher, or at the very least, a pretty good depiction. And he would be right. Before the 2012 San Diego Comic Con concluded, Jane sprung a surprise on attendees with an unofficial short film produced by and starring himself, titled “Dirty Laundry”.

He said: “I wanted to make a fan film for a character I’ve always loved and believed in – a love letter to Frank Castle & his fans. It was an incredible experience with everyone on the project throwing in their time just for the fun of it. It’s been a blast to be a part of from start to finish — we hope the friends of Frank enjoy watching it as much as we did making it.”

On his official Twitter page, a fan asked if he had some kind of agenda making the short. To which Jane innocently replied: “Not pushing anything. Just a fan film from Friends of Frank.”

This short is hands down the best “Punisher” film never made, with the tension slowly and steadily building over the course of the 10-minute story. Then bursting into shocking violence, perfectly in line with the tonality of the universe the character operates in. It is totally kick-ass. The only thing that gives away the fact that it’s basically a fan-film is the use of the “Dark Knight” score. Jane is every inch a fanboy, and he seems to have proven he does deserve a 2nd go at the character. And having gone massively viral since debuting online yesterday, it looks like the fans think so too. But what do you think? Want more Punisher in your lives? Tell us in the comments section below…

(WARNING: The short contains loads of profanity and gore, so watch with discretion)

And yes, that is Ron Perlman.