The Punisher (1989)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Mark Goldblatt

Writer (WGA):

Boaz Yakin (written by)

Release Date:

5 October 1989 (West Germany)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

If society won't punish the guilty, he will.

Plot:

When Frank Castle's family is murdered by criminals, he wages war on crime as a vigilante assassin known only as the Punisher.

Plot Keywords:

Vigilante | Murder | Japanese | Yakuza | Marvel Comics

Cast

Dolph Lundgren	...	Frank Castle
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Jake Berkowitz
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Gianni Franco (as Jeroen Krabbe)
Kim Miyori	...	Lady Tanaka
Bryan Marshall	...	Dino Moretti
Nancy Everhard	...	Sam Leary
Barry Otto	...	Shake
Brian Rooney	...	Tommy Franco
Zoshka Mizak	...	Tanaka's Daughter
Kenji Yamaki	...	Sato
Hirofumi Kanayama	...	Tomio
Larry McCormick	...	TV Newsreader
Todd Boyce	...	Terrone
Lani John Tupu	...	Laccone (as Larney Tupu)
John Negroponte	...	Musso

Runtime:

89 min | Finland:76 min (heavily cut) (1990) (1995)

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Spain:18 | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1990) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1995) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 (2006) (self applied) (film festival rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (cut) (certificate #29751) | Australia:R | France:-12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 (cut) | West Germany:18 (cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

New World Pictures (Australia)

Trivia:

In the opening sequence, on a cinema marquee, a poster is visible for the film "Make Them Die Slowly", better known as Cannibal ferox (1981).

Goofs:

Continuity: After the lights go off, some goons shoot at where two characters are standing, only to find them gone when the emergency lights come on. Not a single bullet hole is visible in the Japanese paper screen they were standing before, however.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The President's Man (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Vicious Minds

a darker,more realistic version of the Punisher

this version of the Punisher is much different than the 2004 version.for one thing it is much darker,and probably more faithful to the comic book version.the pacing is very deliberate in this one,creating more atmosphere.there are some very good fight scenes in this movie.the biggest difference is the protagonist,which is much more deadly in this one and a worthy adversary for the Punisher.Dolph Lundgren plays the role in this incarnation and is much more imposing,with better physical presence.this is mainly due to his size.he definitely would inspire fear in the criminal element.Lundgren is not really a great actor,but he doesn't need to be for this role.overall,this a good movie,more subdued than the 2004 version.there is more physical action,but very little of things blowing up,which works in this film's favor. a strong7/10