The Punisher (1989)

First, a few facts. Dolph Lundgren expresses emotions ranging from stoic to, well, really stoic. There are holes in the story large enough to pilot the Exxon Valdez through without spilling a drop. And the film is littered with action movie clichés. But none of this matters. The Punisher succeeds because it stays true to its origins, the Marvel comic of the same name. Studio-engineered films such as Batman never quite capture the mixture of loyalty and betrayal, justice and revenge, moral ambiguity and emotional truth that are the hallmarks of the graphic novel. Films such as Darkman do. So does The Punisher. Lundgren plays Frank Castle, a dedicated policeman whose family was wiped out in a mob hit. He went underground (literally) and, as the Punisher, has been exacting his revenge, killing 125 mobsters in the past five years. But when the yakuza (Japanese Mafia) moves in on the mob's territory and kidnaps their children, it's up to the Punisher to rescue the kids. The action blazes, Lundgren (a former full-contact karate champ) moves with feral grace, the production design is a pleasure to watch, and director Mark Goldblatt (whose credits as editor include such big films as Starship Troopers and True Lies) has a clean, efficient style. --Geof Miller Amazon.com

Wow, this movie really get a bum wrap!

I recently came across this movie at a flea market, and said "Wow, I remember this". I had a copy when it 1st came out on VHS, but I wasn't as impressed back then because I was a kid and I was such a Batman fanatic that anything that didn't have a big budget and Michael Keaton and Tim Burton's name attached I didn't want to be bothered with (not to mention I had never read a Punisher comicbook). But having watched the movie again almost 20 years later (and since gathered a nice Punisher graphic novel collection) I can say this movie has gotten maybe the worse bum wrap ever. If your a Punisher fan of the graphic novels, especially Garth Ennis fans, you will fall in love with this version of the Punisher. Everything that was wrong with the 2004 movie was done right in Dolph Lundgren's version, he even plays a much better Punisher than Thomas Jane. And the story is right out of a Garth Ennis story, it even made me think that is where he gets his inspiration for his stories. The movie reminded me of "Up is Down and Black is White" and "In The Beginning" graphic novels. Believe me this story is a true interpretation of The Punisher. And even though he doesn't have the skull T-shirt they made it so you can forgive them for it 20 minutes into the movie. This movie should easily be a cult classic and should be re-released, it really is ashame that it has such an undeserved bad reputation that it does. And until Punisher:War Zone comes out, this movie stands as the definitive Punisher movie. August 21, 2008

Dark

Compared to the 2005 Version of the Film. This 1989 Adaptation is the best of the two. Dolph Lundgren is excellent as the cold-hearted Punisher. This version is less brutal but far darker in tone. Hes has no remorse and is a stone-cold killer. July 20, 2008

Very forgettable.

This movie was very mediocre performances were flat (which is nothing new for Dolph) even Lou Gosset Jr was poor. I retained very little about this movie and near fell asleep watching it. I would more highly recommend the newer version starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta. March 7, 2008

An earlier Punisher

I loved Thomas Jane's "Punisher", but my son told me an earlier one had been made a few years ago with Dolph Lundgren. I purchased it and found it to be even better. A bit of a darker version of the same story...told a bit differently. I enjoyed them both and suggest if you are a fan of the lastest one...definately get this one too, you'll find two different stories. June 11, 2007

Dolph Lundren AS Elvis...playing The Punisher...

My first thoughts on this ? Dolph as a very pissed off Elvis Presley...playing The Punisher. The Yakuza ? Now didn't I see him go against the Yakuza in another action film? oh yes showdown in little tokyo, which I might add his co-star in that movie stole every scene he was in, een with some of the ridiculous dialogue they gave him.

All this aside? I'm giving it three stars because thier are a few scenes which are good and show just how dark the punisher really is, as he's being tortured by the yakuza and doesn't even care, even when they start torturing his contact in the "underworld" and probably saved his life by "not caring".

and then there's a strange little scene after castle is captured and they're going to electrocute him. Which was played well and shows that there is nothing "sane" when it comes to "The Punisher".

I think the people who really hate it and despise it with a passion aren't considering the budget or the YEAR this movie was made and the other movies that were coming out the same time this one was.

I picked this up for $5.50 and don't regret it at all. Although you haven't really seen "The Punisher" until you've seen The "Extended Cut" of the 2004 version. June 6, 2007

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