I have a theory on the use of the Jack Daniels bottle, & other thoughts.

First, I was happy to see Thomas Jane back as the Punisher. He always manages to show some humanity in the role, despite dispensing punishment to the bad guys in a way the police (or even other vigilantes like Batman) never would. I like his conversation with Ron Pearlman on what he would've done in Castle's shoes a few years back. I also like seeing the "off duty" side of Frank (even the Punisher has to do his laundry at some point. Gotta keep those white skulls april fresh!). And I love his final line to the thug on if he knows the difference between justice.....and punishment. Plus, the scene and look on his face where he tosses and spins the bottle of Jack Daniels in the air before using it as a weapon is pure Jane/Punisher. What's funny is Jack Daniels is a commonly used home remedy for drug addictions and other severe ailments that are considered untreatable with conventional medicine and most alternative therapies. The fact that the Punisher used it as the weapon of choice in this short may have been a play on that in that he dispenses punishment to those suffering from "severe ailments" that "conventional" forms of justice and other "alternative rehabilitative therapies" haven't been able to solve.

That being said, a few observations:

1) Based on the comic and even the 2004 movie Jane starred in in the same role, I don't think the Punisher would take this long to deliberate what he needed to do if he had the power to stop it before it got to the point it did when he took action. He's not a sadist when it comes to saving victims of those he dispenses punishment to.

2) Even for the Punisher (and compared to the 2004 movie) it seemed gratuitously violent. The detail on the broken bones sticking out, and some of the blood splattering didn't need to be there to connotate that the Punisher isn't afraid to dispense punishment in a violent way. I'm fine with violence shown when the Punisher is involved, but seemed over the top, and didn't add anything to it. Made me wince a little.

3) Although Ray Stevenson looks more like the Punisher from the comics, Thomas Jane does a better job in general acting out the spirit of the character. Castle is the living embodiment of the Marine motto: no better friend, no worse enemy.