The Punisher
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Movie Reviews of The Punisher
Movie Review: Good but should have spent more time with Dolph
Summary: 4 Stars
They should have spent more time with the Punisher, but instead they focus too much on the two groups of bad guys in the movie, the Yakuza and the other mafia type gang. Dolph looks great in this movie, and a good feel starts to develop in the movie with him brooding, riding around stoically on his motorcycle clad in black leather and delivering some very unique to the Punisher, and also the best action movie quotes ever! 'Why are the innocent dead and the guilty alive','I punish the guilty' outstanding stuff! It would have been great to have more of that. The Punisher is way too cool and idea for them to just cut to the other, by comparison uninteresting characters. Exactly who decided to put those scenes with Dolph praying nude in the sewer? It would have been better with him in his cool black leather outfit like he wears in the rest of the movie. It would have been better with him clothed.The main characters of the Japanese gang are two women. They have too many women in this movie; the Punisher is more of a guy oriented comic book character. We even have to watch a scene where the blond woman walks around in some ridiculous thong outfit while the other Japanese lady plays the piano.
They also spend too much time developing the tough image of both gangs, when they could have been focusing on Dolph's character and shown more of the all out gun/explosive battles-that's more what the Punisher is all about. We don't want to watch endless scenes with gang members swearing at each other.
The also spend too much time with the two reporters. The action in the movie is extreme and the gun battles good, which makes you wish that would have been more the focus of the movie. Some of the violence is not for the squeamish, which could have been toned down in one of two spots, (the crossbow scene) but still good.
Movie Review: If society won't punish the guilty, he will.
Summary: 3 Stars
Let's face it, before Blade (1998), X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2002), Marvel Comics really didn't have much luck in getting successful films made based on their characters. The reason? Because they would often sell the movie rights to anyone who had two coins to rub together, releasing cinematic flops like Dr. Strange (1978), Howard the Duck (1986), Captain America (1989), and even a Fantastic Four movie that was so bad it never saw the light of day, as it was too bad to even release on video. And then there was The Punisher (1989), a character introduced in the 70's within the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, issue 129, circa February 1974, a former police detective, now vigilante, taking revenge on criminals, motivated by the death of his family. Most people I know who've seen the film have pretty distinctive feelings about it, ranging from dislike to severe hate, but I always thought it was pretty good, considering...The film, directed by Mark Goldblatt, whose primary credits include editing films like The Howling (1981), The Terminator (1984), and True Lies (1994), stars Dolph Lundgren, Louis Gossett, Jr., and Jerome Krabb?. Yeah, I know what you're thinking...Dolph Lundgren? I think a number of people had instant reservations when hearing Dolph, certainly an interminable dweller of the B movie circuit, pre-judging the film unfairly. Lou Gossett, Jr. brings a little star power to the table, but he also is no stranger to B movie fans appearing in films like Jaws 3-D (1983), Firewalker (1986), and any of the four or so Iron Eagle films.
The film opens with a television news report, giving us some expository background with regards to a mafia type recently acquitted of the crime of killing detective Frank Castle (Lungren) and his family five years prior. The report also speaks of an elusive character named the Punisher, who has been busy killing members of the mafia over the last five years, racking up an impressive body count. Any connection? Probably...anyway, the mafia guy, returns home to celebrate, and guess who crashes the party? Killing and explosions ensue. Enter Detective Jake Berkowitz (Gossett). Seems Detective Berkowitz has been leading the investigation of the Punisher for the last five years, and believes the Punisher is actually Frank Castle, despite his superior's beliefs that Castle is dead, as the thought of a rogue cop going around killing people would be unpopular. With the recent death of this mafia boss, there's a void of real leadership in the organization, one filled with the return of Gianni Franco (Krabb?) from Europe, who intends to unite the remains of the various mob families whose ranks have been severely depleted by you know who...
Turns out the decimation of the mafia families hasn't gone unnoticed, as the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) has decided to move in and take a controlling interest in criminal activities within the city, a hostile takeover, to say the least. Sounds pretty to the Punisher, as if the criminals are killing themselves off, less work for him...until the Yakuza kidnaps children of the remaining mafia families in an effort to extort control and pressure them under the Yakuza's thumb. So Castle, feeling somewhat responsible as his five-year vendetta has left the families unable to protect even their own children, begins dealing with the Yakuza, which eventually leads to an unlikely alliance with Franco, who's son is one of the kidnapped children.
Guns, knives, throwing stars, explosions, it's all here (well, as far as the explosions, at one point the Punisher is firing a grenade launcher, and the explosions seem less than spectacular, more flashy than boom boomy). Not only that but there's a good amount of karate. Lundgren, a former karate champion himself, performs most all of his own stunts, and there is almost no choreography within the marital arts scenes, as real artists were used, and training in stunt techniques. Does the film stay true to the original character portrayed in the comics? For the most part...some minor changes, along with a few major ones (he never dons a shirt emblazoned with a white skull on it). I think one of the main reasons this film was ill received is because comic fans are a particular picky lot, as they spend a lot of time getting to know these characters, and tend to have high expectations when someone adapts one of their favorite characters to the silver screen. I read comics from the age of 9 until I was 23, so I have intimate knowledge, or at least I did, of many characters, and I thought this particular rendition of this character retained most of the important elements. The main element I didn't care for was his living in the sewers. I brought to mind teenage mutant ninja turtles, which is an altogether different film. I did think Lundgren face makeup was overdone. I understand why it was done the way it was, to present the visage of a skull when the light hit his face just right, and it succeeded, but other times he sort of looked like a drag queen. The most painful element of the film was the dialog. I rolled my eyes more than a few times as the delineation between Frank Castle and the Punisher was examined, unsuccessfully. Some of it was extremely corny, more so combined with Lundgren's deadpan delivery. The direction was pretty good in most areas, given that this was Goldblatt's second film, his first being the Joe Piscopo/Treat Williams cop flick Dead Heat (1988). Goldblatt has since returned to editing, which seems a much better fit for him. Gossett is fun to watch, but again, given the dialog, he is given some completely rotten lines, but he does seem to try to make the best of it, earning whatever he got for appearing in this film.
A nice wide screen anamorphic print here and good audio, with special features including production notes and a theatrical trailer.
Cookieman108
Movie Review: As good as the new one.
Summary: 4 Stars
The action in this movie is the best. The effects this movie uses for being from 1989 are awesome. And take this tip from someone who cares. DO NOT BUY A USED VIDEO FROM TSA VIDEO IF YOU VALUE YOUR MONEY.Movie Review: fun
Summary: 3 Stars
this is an awesome dolph flick. the punisher punishes the guilty and the corpses pile up. having the punishers old partner involved is a good idea and the kidnapping of mobster's kids and the yazuka are good plot devices too. these all make for an interesting story. check it out.Movie Review: THE OTHER GOOD PUNISHER
Summary: 4 Stars
Warning: this critique is not intended for clothes fetishists. If you have a "thing" for the Punisher's shirt, with or without the skull, this ain't for you. The 2004 Punisher is an entertaining shoot-em-up. Like the 2004 movie, Dolph's 1989 flick is also lots of shoot-em-up fun. Ignore the complaints about the Punisher's shirt when you read reviews on here and you'll be fine. This version isn't as polished as a lot of today's movies, but its fun entertainment that you shouldn't think about too hard. There's a big guy in black, lots of action, and death. It's not rocket science.
Give this one a look and the 2004 Punisher too. It's all good.