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The Punisher (1989) 5.6
When Frank Castle's family is murdered by criminals, he wages war on crime as a vigilante assassin known only as the Punisher. Director:Mark GoldblattWriter:Boaz Yakin |
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dolph Lundgren | ... | ||
| Louis Gossett Jr. | ... | ||
| Jeroen Krabbé | ... |
Gianni Franco
(as Jeroen Krabbe)
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Kim Miyori | ... | |
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Bryan Marshall | ... | |
| Nancy Everhard | ... | ||
| Barry Otto | ... | ||
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Brian Rooney | ... | |
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Zoshka Mizak | ... | |
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Kenji Yamaki | ... | |
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Hirofumi Kanayama | ... | |
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Larry McCormick | ... | |
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Todd Boyce | ... | |
| Lani John Tupu | ... |
Laccone
(as Larney Tupu)
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Gianfranco Negroponte | ... |
Musso
(as John Negroponte)
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Edit
Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Based on the Marvel Comic, Dolph Lundgren is Frank Castle an ex-cop who lives in the sewers and acts as judge, jury, and executioner to the city's criminals in retaliation for the unpunished murders of his wife and kids. Frank's ex-partner Jake (Louis Gossett Jr.) finally catches up with the vigilante as he tries to stop the Japanese mob, which is trying to take over the city's mafia operation. Written by Matt Carlin <ghola@umich.edu>
Taglines:
If society won't punish the guilty, he will. See more »Certificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 October 1989 (West Germany) See more »Also Known As:
El castigador See more »Box Office
Budget:
$9,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (heavily cut) (1990) (1995)Sound Mix:
Dolby Stereo (4 channels)Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Performed by Simon Stokes
Written by Simon Stokes & Harry Garfield
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The "Coney Island" fight scene was not filmed on a soundstage, but rather in the "Coney Island Fun House" at the iconic Sydney Harbour Luna Park. The building still exists (as of 2013). See more »Goofs
In a long shot of rack-torture scene, everyone is clearly standing on a place-marker. See more »Soundtracks
Planet of LovePerformed by Simon Stokes
Written by Simon Stokes & Harry Garfield
See more »
No, this is not CITIZEN KANE. But it is an entertaining film that did make a somewhat unbelievable Marvel "hero" to celluloid.
Lundgren plays Frank Castle, a former NYPD detective (originally a military special ops expert in the comic) who loses his family to a mob hit. This pushes his already unstable personality over the edge, and he becomes a one-man judge, jury, and executioner. The VERY underrated Louis Gossett Jr. plays his former partner, determined to find him and keep him out of the gas chamber.
This movie is quite a decent action film. It actually delves quite deeply into the characters' motivations, their histories, their personalities. I agree with earlier comments that, out of the lot of action stars, Lundgren does bring at least some dramatic chops to the role. I really couldn't imagine Schwarzenegger playing this part, though Stallone or Willis might have been better choices.
The action sequences are done quite well for a low-budget film. The director, Mark Goldblatt, served as editor on films such as TERMINATOR 1 & 2, the underrated PREDATOR 2, TRUE LIES, STARSHIP TROOPERS, ARMAGEDDON, and PEARL HARBOR, so he definitely has knowledge of how to properly compose an action sequence. He also served as Paul Verhoeven's 2nd Unit Director on the original ROBOCOP.
The movie is rather tough to find, and though it strays away a bit from the source material, it does manage to flesh out a rather one-dimensional character.
A new version of THE PUNISHER is now being prepped, starring DREAMCATCHER's Thomas Jane as Frank Castle and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh.