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The Punisher
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The Punisher (1989) More at IMDbPro »

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The Punisher (1989) -- When Frank Castle's family is murdered by criminals, he wages war on crime as a vigilante assassin known only as the Punisher.
The Punisher (1989) -- Clip: Funhouse fight

Overview

User Rating:
5.1/10   5,878 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Mark Goldblatt
Writer (WGA):
Boaz Yakin (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Punisher on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 October 1989 (West Germany) more
Genre:
Action | Crime more
Tagline:
If society won't punish the guilty, he will. more
Plot:
When Frank Castle's family is murdered by criminals, he wages war on crime as a vigilante assassin known only as the Punisher. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Dolph Lundgren Film Fest Report From The New Bev!
 (From Icons of Fright. 30 April 2009, 1:00 AM, PDT)

'The Phantom' Returns to Thundering Apathy
 (From Get The Big Picture. 16 December 2008, 7:45 PM, PST)

User Comments:
USA more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Runtime:
89 min | Finland:76 min (heavily cut) (1990) (1995)
Country:
Australia | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Spain:18 | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1995) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1990) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 (2006) (self applied) (film festival rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | USA:R (cut) (certificate #29751) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Australia:R | France:-12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 (cut) | West Germany:18 (cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Was originally banned in South Africa and then released straight to video two years after its release. more
Goofs:
Continuity: While Frank Castle is fighting a Japanese Swordsman, a holstered gun on Castle's back disappears. Moments later, it re-appears in the holster. The weapon wasn't touched by anybody. more
Quotes:
Lady Tanaka: [answering the question, "Who the fuck do you think you are?"] We are Yakuza. When your ancestors were shepherds still screwing sheep on the Mediterranean coast, ours were the crime lords of Asia. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Durch die Nacht mit...: Dolph Lundgren und Ralph Herforth" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Planet of Love more

FAQ

Is the US R-rated version completely uncensored?
more
31 out of 43 people found the following comment useful:-
USA, 30 September 2004
7/10
Author: HandsomeMax from United States

Ah It was 1989,and the Punisher never made it to US theaters.Its a shame too.Cause this is one hell of an action movie.

I know it is not the most faithful adaptation.But in casting and action its great.And thats where its strength lies.

Dolph Lundgren is frank Castle out to avenge the violent murders of his family.He is so good at it that he has tagged 100+ murders of the Franco crime family.However a new threat comes from the emerging Yakuza.In the end the Punisher is forced to join forces with the thugs he was killing to stop the yakuza.

The action here is lean and Very mean.It is pure Punisher-style.Fist-fights.Knife fights.Gun Fights.40 Ninjas getting cut down with machine-gun fire.Extremely violent mode is on here.

Acting-wise.Dolph is great as Frank.He was clearly the best choice at the time.He gives the right sense of quiet intensity at the right moments.

Louis Gosset Jr is Frank's Guilt ridden ex-partner.The scenes between the 2 are good.Gosset steals a few scenes as well.

Jerrone Krabbe is a good bad guy as Johnny franco the crime boss who partners with Frank to save his son.Class act.

Kim Myori as the Lady Yakuza commands the screen when she is on.She comes off very psycho-like.

Barry Otto is good as the Punisher's Drunken stoolie.

Now this is how the Punisher 04 should have been.Here there is no cat and mouse Bs that watered it down .Its simple.The trigger is pulled.The guilty are punished.This has the essence of the comics.

Its a shame Dolph never became the big star he should have been.

8/10

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Dolph vs Jane vs Stevenson obin_gam
ok,who ACTUALLY likes this movie? The_Punisher4eva
Sequel!!! vny109-1
alternate ending moondawg45
What's so bad about this film? paladin-64
Lady Tanaka's lovely daughter! Lorifan
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