The Punisher

Trailer—The Punisher

Lungren as The Punisher play the part very well, a man who lost every thing except he need for revenge but in the process of getting his revenge he losses what made him Frank. When the Japnesse mafia move in and kidnap the children of the local crime family he is forced to face the fact that in his pursuit of revenge he has placed the lives of the ones he swore to protect in danger. The action was well done the fight scenes are well done, he is not invincible and receives several wounds for a super hero that is refreshing, granted I think Kill Bill took a bit from this in the fact the body guard of the crime queen is a teenage female a bit on the crazy side. Over all I think this is a much better film then the remake at least the actors act, and not just say lines, the drunk is great.

This is definetely a cool action flick. Dolph Lundgren plays Frank Castle, a New York cop who's family died in a mafia car bomb. That car bomb transformed Castle into The Punisher, a shadowy figure who's been waging a one-man war against crime. Louis Gosset Jr. plays Castle's friend and kindred spirit, a cop who's trying to capture The Punisher before any more damage is done to the public or himself. Some cool action scenes highlight this cool action flick.

Rather often movies based on comic strips end up dumb as they do not satisfy the interests both comic fans and non-fans, especially during non-digital era when special effects were nothing special. The Punisher does not include supernatural phenomena - although many scenes related to appearance and disappearance of the vigilante Frank Castle are not very feasible - but focuses on punishing the bad not convicted by courts, the idea being so popular since the Death Wish series. The plot has some nice twists and fighting scenes are catchy to follow. Dolph Lundgren has proper character to play and is better than usual, inclusion of decent actors such as Louis Gossett, Jr., Jeroen Krabbé, Kim Miyori provides additional value to the movie. Thus, not a bad movie, and a must to admirers of Lundgren and those not tired of the 1980ies filming and outfit style.

When I saw this film, I didn't have a clue that is about a comic book hero. I tought that this was just another low-budget fire-explosion-martial arts film, I was just a kid back then, years later I come across a few issues of Punisher and I liked it very much. Eventually I saw movie again and I found it very entertaining and very faithful to the comic book. It is dark, tough and pretty realistic. Dolph Lundgren is more than impressive in the title role, and I consider him as the best actor who played the Punisher. Thomas Jane was OK, but still... there was something missing in his portrait, while Ray Stevenson was better than Jane, but couldn't top Lundgren. To mention that Dolph looks quite great with dark hair and filthy beard, his bored face, muscular built gives us a real picture of dark avenger. The only weak spot of this film is low budget, but try not to pay attention and enjoy the film.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs Adapted from a little known comic book of the same name,The Punisher is a ceaselessly exciting thrill-ride with action like you've never seen before.Many consider Dolph the most dramatically talented out the action hero bunch (Willis,Seagal,Van Damme,Schwarzenegger et al)and many may be put off here by what could be interpreted as a blank,stationary performance.In fact,what this is is a frank,startling portrayal of a man unable to emit mercy to his opponents simply because he is emotionally unable to.Like the best,it also has a sensible,compact running time,running in at just under an hour and a half,making it all the more irristible to the action conesseur.****

Relatively few comic-book-based films are true to their origins. For instance, Spoilers follow. In the first Batman film, The Joker is killed In the second, The Penguin dies. The Swamp Thing films strayed significantly from their ... roots. So, okay: this version is markedly different from the comic book. Within that context, the film is entertaining. Dolph Lundgren plays a laconic Punisher, who finds himself in the middle of a war between two crime organizations. As with the second version of Blade, our hero finds himself in a reluctant alliance with some of his enemies to confront a more dangerous group of enemies. Actually, where the newer film (remake?) gives a better origin story, it takes forever to get going; this one gets right into the action. Rather like the Hamlet soliloquy in The Last Action Hero.

Dolph Lundgren is the Punisher in my mind after seeing this movie. Yeah the filming was a little cheap and they eliminated the skull on his shirt but Lundgren captured Frank Castle's descent into madness perfectly. The film opens up five years after the death of Frank Castle and his family as we see in flashbacks this pushed Castle over the edge and into a Vendetta for revenge. Top marks go to Lou Gosset Jr as he Carries his end f the movie beautifully Gossett And Lundgren are the movie. Some of the other actors fall Flat and are not really convincing Only Jerome Krabbe Carries his role off with any hint of class or style. Some of the bad acting in this movie is it's downfall but it captures the style and spirit of the comic Something the remake strives to do but not quite. This movie is a Fun shut your brain off for 92 minutes and sit back and enjoy action classic

In fact, I have a suspicion that I will still like this one better even after the release of the new Punisher (2004). That's because of a couple of reasons. Firstly, the acting. Dolph Lundgren acts very well in this film, portraying a grim, depressed, out of the ordinary action hero whose sole reason for living is revenge. Louis Gossett, jr. also does his best as Lundgren's former best friend. Jeroen Krabbe, in my opinion, is miscast as the big crime boss although he does his best. Secondly, the action sequences are simply good. Lots of guns blazing, some decent camera angles and of course the whole 'red light' sequence near the end of the film, which I liked. The whole atmosphere of this movie is grim, gritty, depressed. Something I think the remake this year will not accomplish. 6/10

Grosly undervalued, the Punisher is 15 years later still one of the better Marvel Movies. Of course the movie has a weak plot, and sure it never really surprises it's audience, but it captures the spirit of the comic far better than many other Marvel-movies. After the murder of his family, Frank Castle goes on a rampage against organized crime. He starts a war against criminals everywhere. The movie shows the Punisher for what he is, once a broken man, now a killer with a shade of humanity far hidden inside. As a movie, the Punisher is average, there are far better movies in the action-genre. But as a comic-adaptation it is at the very least true to the comic.