Predrag
This movie is the best version out there of "The Punisher." Believe it or not, Dolph Lundgren did a hell of a job on his character. Since Dolph's all about body count, Lou Goseph Jr. really balances out the acting and plot parts of this movie. While Tom Jane did alright on the modern version and war zone was really that, this one really portraits the true dark nature of Frank Castle and the demons and criminals he swore to fight after events in his life.Guns, knives, throwing stars, explosions, it's all here (well, as far as the explosions, at one point the Punisher is firing a grenade launcher, and the explosions seem less than spectacular, more flashy than boom boomy). Not only that but there's a good amount of karate. Lundgren, a former karate champion himself, performs most all of his own stunts, and there is almost no choreography within the marital arts scenes, as real artists were used, and training in stunt techniques. Does the film stay true to the original character portrayed in the comics? For the most part...some minor changes, along with a few major ones (he never dons a shirt emblazoned with a white skull on it). I think one of the main reasons this film was ill received is because comic fans are a particular picky lot, as they spend a lot of time getting to know these characters, and tend to have high expectations when someone adapts one of their favorite characters to the silver screen.The direction was pretty good in most areas, given that this was Goldblatt's second film, his first being the Joe Piscopo/Treat Williams cop flick Dead Heat (1988). Goldblatt has since returned to editing, which seems a much better fit for him. Gossett is fun to watch, but again, given the dialog, he is given some completely rotten lines, but he does seem to try to make the best of it, earning whatever he got for appearing in this film.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
Eddie Cantillo
The Punisher(1989) Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Louis Gossett, Jr., Jeroen Krabbé, Kim Miyori, Bryan Marshall, Nancy Everhard, Barry Otto, Brian Rooney, Zoshka Mizak, Kenji Yamaki, Hirofumi Kanayama, Larry McCormick, Todd Boyce, Lani John Tupu, John Negroponte, and Christian Manon Directed By: Mark Goldblatt Review JUDGE, JURY, EXECUTIONER, ALL IN A DAY'S WORK This wasn't even a Punisher movie, not once throughout this whole generic boring action piece of garbage film did this feel like Punisher. The avenging angel of Marvel Comics fame comes brilliantly to life in this searing action-adventure thriller! Dolph Lundgren stars as Frank Castle, a veteran cop who loses his entire family to a mafia car bomb. Only his ex-partner believes Castle survived the blast to become THE PUNISHER ... a shadowy, invincible fighter against evil who lives for total revenge on his mob enemies. He isn't sporting the skull on his chest and for an 80's action film it's not as brutal as other 80's action films like Commando or First Blood. And the plot's just boring and we don't delve into Frank Castle as a character at all. The acting is lifeless, like a decaying tree with some low budget standard effects. You'd think that in an 80's action film about one of the most violent crime fighter's in comics it would be more fun, but it's no fun at all. I've seen all three Punisher movies now and personally give Thomas Jaynes any day. I'm giving this Punisher a one out of five.
srepolt
As far as 80's action movie actors go, Dolph Lundgren never received the same level of stardom as Stallone, Arnold, or even Van Damme. Dolph has made some pretty good action movies over the years and the Punisher is definitely one of his best and one of my favorites. Growing up in the late 80's and 90's, the Punisher was one of the first Dolph Lundgren movies I ever watched. As sacrilegious as this might sound, I never watched the Rocky movies growing up so I never saw him as Drago. For me, the Punisher was my introduction to Dolph. As a huge comic book fan and a Punisher fan I loved this movie. In comparison to the more recent adaptations I still think that this is the best version of the Punisher to hit the screen. The action is nitty gritty, the kill count is high and Dolph plays the character like a man who simple doesn't care if he lives or dies just as long as the criminals get what they deserve.....Death! This movie is far from perfect but anyone who is a fan of Dolph, 80's action movies, and the Punisher, this movie is for you. My only complaint with this film is that the Punisher doesn't wear his trademark skull shirt. This simple fact can be overlooked due to the overall enjoyment of the movie.
Quebec_Dragon
I don't like the Punisher character and this was from the time before Marvel made good movies, but it turned out to be quite acceptable. I found it pretty entertaining. I thought Dolph Lundgreen in the main role was just an imposing figure and an impassive face. It turns out that his expressions while shooting were hilarious (especially when he shoots up a clandestine casino) and that action-wise, he held his own, perhaps even better when fighting hand-to-hand. I read that they took real martial artists and that Dolph was a former karate champion, so although there's no elaborate fight choreography, it works anyway. The scene where he shoots a crossbow in a guy's chest and rappels down a rope while shooting bad guys made me laugh out loud. Of course, he has an apparently fake beard that distracts and sometimes awkward, yet enjoyable, lines, but his physique makes up for it. He looks the part despite the lack of skull emblem. The story involving the Japanese mafia trying to take over the Italian one could have been worse despite involving the kidnapping of kids.Other scenes of interest were Dolph taking down guys silently one by one at the start, him against a bunch of Yakuzas in a carnival house, and the brawl near the end when the lights go red. Yeah, the Punisher is unbelievably lucky in not being shot so much, especially the way he moves while shooting instead of taking cover, but I didn't mind. What impressed me perhaps the most was the acting by the 2 main bad guys, especially the mafia boss Franco. They were serious, not campy at all and they were credible in their roles. The Italian mobsters were more corny, while the Japanese were just expressionless fighting machines. So for an 80s action movie, it's far from the top, but it deserves a better reputation than it has. Of the 3 Punisher movies, I still prefer the second one with Thomas Jane though.Rating: 6.5 out of 10 (good)
AD
