Thank you...their many reasons to have the film set in the 1970s. Beginning of film Frank returns to NYC from Vietnam...he tries to find a job but because of bad economy he cannot get one. His family is pretty much on food stamps and he cannot take it not providing for his family. He also upset that the police has let the city hat he loves get so bad run by criminals. He even send the mayor a letter to try and fix the city's crime rate but the mayor does not respond back and does not care really and the police are corrupt to the core.
Also being a soilder takes a toll on him mentally so he goes trough alot of stuff, but his family is the only reason he still does not mind living and takes care of them the best he can. They have a picnic to ease the problems but his family gets murdered by mobsters after witnessing a mob execution. So that drives him ovr the edge and he decides to take matters into his own hands. I have the villian in the movie be based off Frank Lucas. So in the film the main villian be a drug kngpin who killing alot of people on the streets cause of heroin and he is ruthless too.
I just have the total movie decked out in 70s fashion. When you at the theaters you think you watching an actual 1970s movie. 70s music, 70s camera like, 70s everything. See NYC as what it was back then during them times. That would be a great Punisher film right their. I'm surprised they did not try this for Punisher Warzone.
Some good ideas going on here. Only thing I'd get rid of is making Frank and his family nearly poor and making Frank almost mentally detached because of Vietnam. Giving him job troubles might be interesting, but he shouldn't be on food stamps. He's always been portrayed as well to do middle class before he became The Punisher. Incorporate some of Born into it. He goes into Vietnam fine. When he gets to Valley Forge, he loses it and transcends himself by becoming a killing machine to survive the onslaught and then he comes out of that the same way he went in: normal. It's that lingering unstoppable machine that's hiding beneath the surface, just needing a reason to come out. Throw in some elements of Tyger as well: Frank's been exposed to brutal violence since he was a kid.
To those who said the Punisher would be more relevant set in a contemporary film rather than a '70's film, I think, is a little off. Frank Castle ages. With all the twisted continuity Marvel does, I think Frank may be one of the top 5 oldest characters in the M.U., Captain America being the oldest. I like the idea of a Frank Castle gunning down bad guys before Peter Parker gets his powers, before Captain America is de-frosted, etc... And it's a good way to show how long he's been doing what he does.
but like S.Grundy said, the odds of a period piece happening with The Punisher are slim. Captain America gets that treatment because he's Captain America. I'm not sure Marvel would invest the money to make an R-Rated period piece film for The Punisher, as cool as it would be. Maybe for a 10-minute short, they could pull it off. But I don't know.
But if they can't or won't do a 70's set Punisher film, just go all out 70's style filmmaking set in the modern day: Drama over action, no one-liners, very little comedy, give it a real edge, make it mean, somewhat bleak and very poignant in terms of emotional arcs. That's what I think the Punisher needs to be successful. Marvel also shouldn't market it as a Superhero film, which is why i'd really prefer they keep Frank in his own pocket universe like in the MAX books. Reading Roger Ebert's review of the 2004 film is

inducing, as he kept complaining about how dark and un-inspiring the film was because it's full of violence and misery, something that shouldn't be in a superhero film. The Punisher isn't a superhero. Get that through and it'll be fine.