Time: 89 Minutes
Cast:
Dolph Lundgren as Francis “Frank” Castle/The Punisher
Louis Gossett Jr. as Detective Jake Berkowitz
Director: Mark Goldblatt

Based on the popular Marvel comic book, this film begins with Frank Castle (Dolph Lundgren) as a respected police officer dedicated to eradicating the Mafia’s influence — that is, until the mob responds with a lethal car bomb that decimates Castle’s family. Now, filled with rage and presumed dead from the horrific explosion, Castle takes to the city’s underground sewer tunnels to bring his own brutal brand of vigilante justice to the streets and wreak vengeance on those who killed his family.

There have been multiple live action versions of the Punisher; there’s the 2004 movie with Thomas Jane, there’s the Netflix version with Jon Bernthal, and there’s the version with Ray Stevenson in Punisher War Zone. However, the first live action adaptation starring Dolph Lundgren in the title role is not quite as known. I really had no idea what to expect going in, but it’s actually pretty good, better than expected.

Creating the concept of a Punisher movie is pretty easy, you have a lead character named Frank Castle/The Punisher who is a vigilante who kills a lot of people (usually gangs), and for the most part, this film follows that. Though it does make some weird and interesting choices; Castle lives in a sewer, he rides a motorcycle, and he wears leather. Most of all however, they removed the iconic skull on his chest, its been minimised to having skulls on the pommels of his knives. This change doesn’t weigh down the movie or anything, but it does feel out of place, especially as having the skull on the chest wouldn’t be too silly. Aside from that, they generally skip over the Punisher’s origin story, and his backstory is relegated to flashbacks. It’s definitely not as comic booky compared to other adaptations of the character, resembling an 80s grungy action film more. It focuses on a gang war between a Mafia family and a Triad, with the Punisher caught between them. It’s low on story and character, and has a stronger emphasis on action, and it benefits from a fast pace. The third act is particularly where it goes all in on the action.

Dolph Lundgren is probably my least favourite version of the character, but he’s still good here. He’s in line with the character, capturing the physicality of Frank Castle, while going for a more subdued killer, and one that is very sad and broken. The rest of the cast are solid, including an enjoyable Louis Gossett Jr. as the main detective.

Mark Goldblatt’s direction is solid, it does very well at giving a really grimy feel, especially with the visuals. The action is great and brutal with a high body count, definitely in line with other similar movies from the 80s. They do well at making the set pieces feel unique from each other.

The Punisher (1989) is far from the best portrayal of the title character, but is nonetheless a decent and entertaining 80s action flick, solidly directed, and has a good lead performance from Dolph Lundgren. It works as a Punisher movie and as an 80s action flick.