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
From metacritic.com
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Title: The Punisher (1989)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| 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 |
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Zoska Aleece | ... | Tanaka's Daughter (as Zoshka Mizak) |
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Kenji Yamaki | ... | Sato |
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Hirofumi Kanayama | ... | Tomio |
| Larry McCormick | ... | TV Newsreader | |
| Todd Boyce | ... | Tarrone | |
| Lani John Tupu | ... | Laccone (as Larney Tupu) | |
|
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Gianfranco Negroponte | ... | Musso (as John Negroponte) |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot 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 you're innocent, he's just the protection you want - and all the protection you'll need. But if you're guilty...Pray the cops find you before he does. See more »Certificate:
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Jake: Because I know what it's like to be given up on.
Sam Leary: Who gave up on YOU?
Jake: Everyone and myself. You know how most cops like to go out for a drink after work? Well, I kept moving on up... to the drink BEFORE work, the drink DURING work, and finally the drink INSTEAD OF work. It got to be a real problem; nobody wanted to deal with it, least of all me. Before I ...
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Unlike the comic book, Frank Castle does not wear the skull on his chest, but it's on the daggers he uses, as well as his face, made up on Dolph Lundgren's fake beard. See more »Goofs
(at around 27 mins) Punisher's sidekick misquotes Macbeth when entering the sewers. He says "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble" when any thespian will know the correct line from MacBeth begins "Double, double...". See more »Quotes
Sam Leary: [as she and Berkowitz are combing the sewers for the Punisher's lair] ... So how come you never gave up on Frank Castle, like everybody else did?Jake: Because I know what it's like to be given up on.
Sam Leary: Who gave up on YOU?
Jake: Everyone and myself. You know how most cops like to go out for a drink after work? Well, I kept moving on up... to the drink BEFORE work, the drink DURING work, and finally the drink INSTEAD OF work. It got to be a real problem; nobody wanted to deal with it, least of all me. Before I ...
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Alternate Versions
The Finnish video version is cut by 11 minutes. See more »
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 October 1989 (West Germany) See more »Also Known As:
The Punisher See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$9,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (heavily cut) (1990) (1995) | (Workprint Version)Sound Mix:
Dolby Stereo (4 channels)Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
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"The Punisher" (1990) starring Dolph Lundgren and Louis Gossett, Jr. is a movie adaptation of the Marvel Comics character about a presumed dead police officer who wages a one man war on crime. In this big screen adaptation, The Punisher (Lundgren) rises from the sewers to battle the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) who have come to America to try to force the current reigning Franco crime family, headed by Gianni Franco (Jeroen Krabbe) out of business. To do this, the Yakuza headed by Lady Tanaka (Kim Miyori) have kidnapped the children of all the crime bosses. The Punisher reluctantly enters into this complex triangle to try to rescue the children.
I must say that "The Punisher" is a rather solid adaptation of the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Dolph Lundgren proves that he can carry a movie. He can really kick some a** in this film. The action scenes may prove to be the best parts of this movie. Probably the best action sequence is the scene where The Punisher drops through a glass window and begins shooting up a casino.
"The Punisher" get 2 ½ stars out of 5.