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The Punisher

The Punisher (1989)

tomatometer

No Score Yet...

Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 2

audience

42

liked it
Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 51,210

My Rating

Movie Info

This is an adaptation of a popular, violent Marvel Comics series about a character who's a frontier-style vigilante in modern-day urban America. Dolph Lundgren stars as Frank Castle, once a crusading police officer whose family was murdered by a car bomb planted by the Mob. Believed to be killed in the explosion, Castle has gone underground, building a subterranean lair in the sewer system and vengefully assassinating various criminals, wracking up an impressive body count of 125 slain in five

R,

Action & Adventure

Mar 15, 2000

Cast

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Critic Reviews for The Punisher

All Critics (17) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (13) | DVD (5)

With origins in a Marvel Comics character, The Punisher is, as might be expected, two-dimensional.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Destructive, reprehensible, and marvellous fun.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment (1)
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Carefully tended facial stubble trimmed to give him a skull-like appearance, Lundgren is truly impressive as a character defined by emotional emptiness.

April 24, 2009 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A terrible one-man-army action flick. The 2004 version is far more effective.

September 29, 2005
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

Much better than the 2004 version. A surprisingly potent blast of '80s action moviemaking.

July 31, 2005
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

Often underrated comic-book adaptation that lacks the trademark skull logo but delivers the superhero presence that the Thomas Jane remake sadly lacks.

June 24, 2004
Luke Y. Thompson
LYTRules.com Source: LYTRules.com

É difícil escolher o que é pior: os diálogos risíveis, a direção amadora, as lutas nada convincentes, a péssima atuação (oh!) de Lundgren ou sua "maquiagem de deprimido".

May 1, 2004
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Marred by cheeseball sets and special effects, lame fight sequences, and some of the worst acting ever to disgrace the screen.

April 18, 2004 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

The only positive spin I can put on this movie is that if bad comic adaptations like it hadn't been done in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Marvel never would have needed to have its current, high-quality big-screen resurgence.

April 28, 2003
Greg Dean Schmitz
Greg's Previews at Yahoo! Movies

The real problem is that it just isn't very exciting.

December 7, 2002 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide
View all critic reviews (17)

Audience Reviews for The Punisher

View All
The Original Punisher film is a cheesy 80's action film, who would have thought with Dolph Lundgren in the lead role! Lundgren is Frank Castle, a cop gone rouge, how can you tell he's bad-ass? He's got stubble on his earlobes, that's how! It's the 80's, cue rock-synth music, a grunting muscleman, Jeroen Krabbé being villainous, Louis Gossett Jr. being cool, comedy side-kick (Barry Otto in a very curious role), Yakuza's in suits, in depth explanations of what Yakuza means, etc etc. It's love and hate really, I love the cheese but hate the adaption.
April 11, 2013
SirPant
Anthony Lawrie

Super Reviewer

The first Punisher film starring Dolph Lundgren is a decent film, but one that has too many flaws to really make it a good viewing experience. Nonetheless it is still pretty entertaining. The biggest problem I had with the film is that it feels too low-budget with a so-so cast of actors. Lundgren is pretty good in the part, but I feel he lacked the intensity that Stevenson gave in the 2008 reboot, Punisher: Warzone. The film has some decent action scenes that are exciting and violent, but the films plot is not that interesting, and is underdeveloped, as if the filmmakers rushed to finish the script and make this film as fast as possible. As far as Punisher films are concerned, this is my least favorite of the three due to a very weak plot, and very wooden acting. Luckily Lundgren saves this film from being a total dud. If you're in the mood for a cheesy action film, then give this one a shot. This film is entertaining, but you see that the filmmakers are struggling with trying to deliver something effective on-screen. This film could have been done better and it lacks anything to really make it a memorable action film. However, it's still fun for what it is. Just don't expect anything great with this film. Expect a decent popcorn actioner with this 1989 version with a limited plot and so-so acting. The action scenes do standout, but compared to other Punisher films, the action in this film is fairly minimal. I think it's a fun film that had the potential of being so much better than what it turned out to be. As far as Punisher films are concerned, this one is fairly bland, but is worth watching if you're a fan of the character.
November 6, 2011
TheDudeLebowski65
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

The Punisher Quotes

    1. Frank Castle/The Punisher: Why God? Why?
    – Submitted by David S (7 months ago)
View all quotes (1)

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June 14, 2011:
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Movie: ID: 13624 Title: The Punisher Release Date: 1989-10-05 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 4 Status: 1

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