I don't care what anyone says, Dolph did a great job in this, and this film is outstanding. The only thing missing is the skull on his chest, otherwise this is great stuff.
+Video Game Console Examiner True. I Prefer it to the newer ones. Dolph has that very cold way of looking, like he is in "the Zone" getting ready to do a hell lot of damage.
+David Exactly! I actually feel his pain, unlike the newer ones where it was just so forced. I liked that Punisher went out of his way to rescue the kids as well, even letting himself be captured by the cops to do so.
Everybody complains about not having the skull on the costume. Am I the only one who noticed...Dolph's face IS the skull logo...look at how his 5 oclock shadow is shaped...His FACE is the skull. Pretty cool when you notice it.
Actually Punisher working with the mob to take down a villain isn't against the character. He's done it in the comics before, providing its a dangerous enough of a threat. The kicker is that immediately after the day is saved, Punisher will then turn on his criminal partner.
Dolph Lundgren is by far my favorite Punisher. To be honest, I dislike other versions. Dolph did an amazing job. This film is brutal, dark and even realistic. This is the REAL Punisher. Kim Miyori's Lady Tanaka was a fantastic villainess as well
I absolutely love this movie. It has that late 80's action movie vibe that rules and Lundgren was awesome as Frank Castle. Lots of action and the uncut version is even better with the uncensored kills. I wish they had left in the cut workprint footage as it really fleshed out the characters and was pretty well acted. Hopefully one day a complete uncut version with those scenes intact will be released.
I honestly enjoyed how gritty and human the punisher is in this movie it isn't like he's a robot, he reloads his weapons, he actually takes damage and after someone he hates is put put in a similar position as him he relates to his plight, helps him, but then doesn't hesitate to kill him the second they've rescued there children.
I saw this movie as a kid after it came out on vhs and the only part I remember fondly is the scene where the Ya Ku Za lady tells the mob boss, " my ancestors were ruling Japan's underworld when your ancestors were fucking sheep on the slopes of Italy! " awesome line, IMO😈
How is it every time I learn more about Dolph Lundgren the man somehow becomes even more awesome? Built like a Greek hero, masters in chemical engineering and 3rd degree black belt, next you're gonna tell me he's a backup guitar player for a band.
I wouldn't lump it in with any other superhero movies either, because it's not a superhero movie. That's why it's awesome. As for it not being true to the character, you couldn't be more wrong. I've been reading comics since I was a kid and The Punisher is the only one I've stuck to since the early 80s. I'm a die hard Frank fan, and this movie is much more along the lines of the comic than the other 2 Punisher movies. The one with Thomas Jane was embarrassingly soft, War Zone was really good but Dolph was the best Punisher. Frank did many things in the comic's story line that initially went against his own moral code, but the end result justified the means to him. Hence the reason he worked with the mob in this story line in. Comparing this to any other cookie cutter Marvel movie made recently is comparing apples and oranges, this movie is brutal and the most accurate representation of The Punisher to date.
its always annoying because i liked the actor who played frank in the second movie (not war zone the one before it) and in general i liked the movie but i wish that actor got to play a more violent punisher with more story.
Totally agree. I love the film and wish they'd made more like it. I'd really love to see a return to the sort of dark, gritty urban action movies of the 80s, but I don't think it's going to happen.
As far as films being true to the spirit of the comics I rank this film very high especially their courage to go rated R and the fact they didn't make it kiddy.
the rough version is because it was never edited into the movie and looked like a behind the scenes view those scenes show how FRANK CASTLE was a different persona than the PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE : a husband a father a cop the PUNISHER : cold dark violent partially evil not alive not dead he just exists
good old memories ...summer '93 in germany, barbecue-party with 50 metalheads / hardcore-fans ...the DJ played Biohazard's "punishment" and we all were shouting the intro: COME ON GOD, ANSWER ME ...btw i discovered the movie with this song :) thanx NYHC!
The casino shootout is still one of my favorite scenes to crank up the volume on. Along with the scene from Predator where the squad invades the compound, Marty returning to 1985 in Back to the Future, the dogfight in Air Force One, the dogfight in Independence Day, and most recently Iron Man joining the fight in Avengers.
@@RockandrollNegro i liked the 2004 movie. sure its not the greates but i liked the guy who played punisher and had some cool scenes. mind you i have bias because i loved it as a kid as it was the only one i watched. wasnt a big fan of war zone as a kid but probably because it changed actor.
Just re-watched this the other night. I think the character "Shake" may have been a former stage actor or fan of Shakespeare. He mentions playing Hamlet at one point. Thats probably why he talks in rhymes.
kinda fuckin sick of people complaining about the skull on his shirt; I think you have to remember that no actual major comic "Book" hero besides Superman had really been put on theatrical film in what wouldve been the modern era then, & there were probably legit concerns that it would come off silly in a live action context; after all, even now live action doesn't ever capture the stylized coolness of good comic art. I think Dolph's physical presence as Frank with the black hair actually feels more visually right than the two more recent flicks.
Damn your reviews are entertaining Oliver!!! I have been watching/rewatching all of your reviews for about the last 2 days now. I actually find them, your reviews, more entertaining than many of the films you review in their entirety. Although thanks for reviewing 'Prince of Darkness.' I'm going to watch that for the first time as soon as I can drag myself away from your excellent reviews!!!
My favourite Punisher movie along with War Zone. Love the scene where he ziplines off the roof and blasts everyone with a shotgun then he's running along side a van full of criminals blasting them. I love the scene when Jake visits the punisher in the police cell too. Thats a really cool scene. If you buy the blu ray it contains a version of the film with all the scenes of Frank with his family and working as a cop with his partner, Jake.
It's not at all correct to say Punisher sales had dropped sharply in 1989. In fact, his popularity was likely still rising. The Punisher had 2 monthly series by 1989 and a third was added in 1992, which is probably the peak of his popularity.
I think the fact they didn’t use the skull logo on his shirt is in part because of how dark and “grounded” they were trying to make it. Sort of the same reason Brian Singer opted to not use the comic book look for the X-Men’s uniforms when it came to his movie. Also I could see The Punisher “teaming-up” with a mob boss to defeat a larger foe with the understanding he would definitely be expecting the mob boss to double cross him when the job is over and because of that would already have a plan in place to kill the mob boss. It’s the whole “enemy of my enemy” thing. The mob boss wouldn’t be a partner but only a tool to get the job done and once it’s is done there is no further use for it.
I recorded this in the early 1990s and still have the VHS recording I made, with a custom label I drew myself. I have rewatched this movie hundreds of times.
Awesome, vastly underrated movie - ultra violent and brutal, just as the punisher should be. And Dolph was perfectly cast - intimidating as hell. He is By far and away the best punisher
This was a lot closer to the comics than a hell of a lot of movies back then so I have no complaints about it. There has been a lot worse come out since then lol!
I was reading the comic version of the movie and those deleted scenes were in the comics, also, the skull was added later on when they raid the yakuza building...
I remember that there was an interview with the director who said that putting a huge giant skull on his front would make him look like he was in a comic book. Instead they put a skull on the bottom of the handle of The Punisher's knife.
Bravo from what I remember only showed the video version which was missing a lot of violence. Even now the UK DVD is the same as the US R-rated edition which is also cut.
When this came out on VHS in January 1991 the Punisher comic books had not even hit the prime sales that was 1993 ,with three ongoing monthly titles , The punisher, Punisher War Journal, Punisher War zone, plus this was filmed in late 1987 , but took ages to come to video , the late great Barry Norman did a review on film 90 , and I actually seen this at the cinema, and the PUNISHER is NOT a Batman rip off, he's a Mack Bolan the EXECUTIONER rip off lol
I'll watch Dolph Lundgren's Punisher over Tom Jane's the only issue I have with Punisher War Zone is jigsaw is too over the top for the tone of the film
I wouldn't exactly call Dolph Lundgren's performance wooden: it might be an intentional direction to portray The Punisher as a husk of a man and to me Lundgren's performance nails Castle's character from the earlier versions of a comics which fewer people would consider superior to Ennis's run (a good one, but I find it's violence a bit too cartoonish to see it as serious: an often intentional thing with Ennis), but there are fans, me included.
I like how he says they didn't think Tim Burton's Batman wasnt going to be any competition. Today Jon Berenthal's Punisher in a big screen movie wouldnt make as much money as another Batman movie, ha ha! By the way Dead Heat is a classic and Spider Man directed by Joe Zito....????, hilarious!
By far my favorite Punisher movie, I’m watching it right now on TH-cam. They got so much about the character right. The newer movies are too polished.. In a way it feel’s like a made for TV film but I wish they would re-make this movie. It was way before it’s time and not enough people have seen it.
3:01 - in 1989, The Punisher was Marvel's most popular character. He was featured in Punisher, Punisher War Journal, plus several specials and graphic novels.
At the time Punisher first appeared, Batman actually still killed bad guys. I can list a number of comics from the 70's and 80's (and even a few from the 90's) in which Batman kills with cold efficiency.
I like this take on the Punisher....I like the understated comedy with the drunk guy...I thought this was better than the Travolta one....more campy, over the top vs. the Travolta one, which was SO dark.....
When I said it might be the best Punisher I just meant in my own opinion. I don't really care about stats. Anyways I admit that I can't remember the 89 version that well (except liking it as a kid) I think it's safe to assume that no Punisher movie is as good as it should be.
Yeah, you lost me talking about Punishers comic sales sliding when this was released in 1990. When the movie came out, he was blowing up in the comics. He went from 1 to 3 titles.
Jeroen Krabbe was also main villain in The Fugitive with Harrison Ford as Dr Charles Nichols and in the James Bond film The Living Daylights in 1987 goes against Timothy Daltons James Bond
he didn't wear the skull, but this movie did a great job of modernizing punisher at the time (the character left the "superhero" costume for boots and jeans a few years later in the war zone comic) great chamnel, i think i wasted an hour watching these great videos
I still love this film even now I think Dolph did a great job with the material he had, giving us an emotionally stripped out version of a Punisher who is so haunted by losing his family, he's virtually shut down. Out of all the Punisher films and TV series, this one is the best.
I also wanted to say that I was reading about the casting for this movie and one of the people who was on the short list was none other than Christopher Lambert! I think Lambert would’ve been a great choice and I can see why they were looking at him. In the end, Dolph Lundgren was definitely better suited for the role when you look at his intimidating height and stature and the fact that he’s a real martial artist and a competitive kick boxer.
Dolph makes a good Punisher. He has the right height for the role and looks cool. It's actually being re-booted AGAIN and I really hope they do it justice this time because it deserves it.
Just stumbled upon this great channel and the Retrospective/Review section. The narration you use for the video opening is also used in DJ Skinheads Track Extreme Terror. I'm pretty surprised. I love to show my friends this Film, they don't believe me when I tell them there is a 30 year old Punisher Film starring Dolph Lundgren.
The black hair suits Dolph, he has the image right for Dolph but the character in the comics does look a lot different more rougher around the edges i suppose.
Nooo I adore this movie , also I can’t believe u didn’t mention that frank lives in the sewers or the torture scene or when the ninjas go down the giant wooden slides.
Great review, I have a similar opinion of the film but I enjoyed lungrens take on the character and I did miss the skull too, it just didn't feel right without it.
Yeah Stan Lee didn't like the live action Spiderman show but if you do a quick search online you will find out the Spiderman 70s show was extremely popular.
Nice look at one of Dolph's better movies. I also was a bit underwhelmed when I first saw this but being a big action junkie, I can't deny that it has it's moments. If they focussed more on the character of the Punisher than the whole mob war thing, it would have been a much better film.
I think Shake is a failed Shakespearean stage actor, thus why he speaks in rhyme. Doesn't need much background on that. Also, a major mistake of the film is the fact that the Yakuza is led by a woman. Yakuza doesn't have female leaders. But I don't care. I liked that, actually. The little mute girl giving Castle a hard time is also quite cool.
I remember the director, of this film, saying that they decided to edit the classic skull emblem, on the chest, being that it was too "COMIC BOOKY"???? Ooookay.
Dolph's Punisher is the best incarnation on screen ever. Its realistic, dark and exacty how a Punisher movie should be. Too bad a sequal was never made. I don't care that he doesn't wear a skull on his chest. The knife blades with the skull is his signature and I like that touch. The story is great and the action is solid.
I think it was a solid idea to stick close to the action movie tropes since the Punisher is in large part designed around them. It's also a bit anticipatory in designing itself first as a movie, and having the comic references as just a bonus. We see that come to the foreground with movies like Blade.
When the film was released thenPunisher was doing excellent on comic book sales ;he had three obngoing aeries ,multiple guest appearances and some graphic novels, from them I reccomend Punisher Big Nothing, and Assasin s Guild, they can compete and even surpass most of Ennis material. The Punisher sales and quality dropped on 1995.
![ตีสิบเดย์ [FULL] | เปิดใจ "อาจารย์ เบียร์ ฅนตื่นธรรม" นักสนทนาธรรมสายดุดัน!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vqaBI_mnoDk/mqdefault.jpg)
I don't care what anyone says, Dolph did a great job in this, and this film is outstanding. The only thing missing is the skull on his chest, otherwise this is great stuff.
+Video Game Console Examiner True. I Prefer it to the newer ones. Dolph has that very cold way of looking, like he is in "the Zone" getting ready to do a hell lot of damage.
+David Exactly! I actually feel his pain, unlike the newer ones where it was just so forced. I liked that Punisher went out of his way to rescue the kids as well, even letting himself be captured by the cops to do so.
true brother. Video Game Console Examiner
+Video Game Console Examiner Dolphs karate skills made Punisher over the top..
I liked it too..A true action flick..Dolph was cool and super-human..His heavy guns vere typical for 80-ies movies like Rambo 2..
Everybody complains about not having the skull on the costume. Am I the only one who noticed...Dolph's face IS the skull logo...look at how his 5 oclock shadow is shaped...His FACE is the skull. Pretty cool when you notice it.
So he goes from fighting Skeletor, to BEING Skeletor :p
@@joeyservo well, skelator DID say he'd be back
They weren't allowed to use the skull, thats why its not in the movie.
I noticed that to even when I was young when this first came out
The skull was on the knife handles.
Actually Punisher working with the mob to take down a villain isn't against the character. He's done it in the comics before, providing its a dangerous enough of a threat. The kicker is that immediately after the day is saved, Punisher will then turn on his criminal partner.
yea because even though he agreed to help the mob boss rescue his son, he did say but understand when this is over.....you're dead
Castle did whatever needed to be done. Everyone who knew the comics back then would know that 🤦🏾♂️
Yeah I was working with the mob as Johnny Tower in War Zone comic
Dolph Lundgren is by far my favorite Punisher. To be honest, I dislike other versions. Dolph did an amazing job. This film is brutal, dark and even realistic. This is the REAL Punisher. Kim Miyori's Lady Tanaka was a fantastic villainess as well
I agree with everything you've said 100%
That’s like saying I prefer poop over diarrhea
Meh not the real punisher
@@freshstudios5533 Personally I prefer him to any other Punisher I've seen so far
@@irina1296 fair enough
I absolutely love this movie. It has that late 80's action movie vibe that rules and Lundgren was awesome as Frank Castle. Lots of action and the uncut version is even better with the uncensored kills. I wish they had left in the cut workprint footage as it really fleshed out the characters and was pretty well acted. Hopefully one day a complete uncut version with those scenes intact will be released.
Wow I didn't know there was an uncut version. I'm going to have to check that out.
If you buy the Blu ray (Umbrella Entertainment) its on that.
This was my introduction to the character as a kid and it remains my favourite Punisher movie.
I honestly enjoyed how gritty and human the punisher is in this movie it isn't like he's a robot, he reloads his weapons, he actually takes damage and after someone he hates is put put in a similar position as him he relates to his plight, helps him, but then doesn't hesitate to kill him the second they've rescued there children.
I saw this movie as a kid after it came out on vhs and the only part I remember fondly is the scene where the Ya Ku Za lady tells the mob boss, " my ancestors were ruling Japan's underworld when your ancestors were fucking sheep on the slopes of Italy! " awesome line, IMO😈
This is an oldie I still like. Stylish and original and I think it's far better then many modern Marvel stinkers.
Another one of those 80's classics that needs a good blu ray release!
It's been 8 years so I'm assuming by now you have the Australian edition from Umbrella.
its on 4K now!
How is it every time I learn more about Dolph Lundgren the man somehow becomes even more awesome? Built like a Greek hero, masters in chemical engineering and 3rd degree black belt, next you're gonna tell me he's a backup guitar player for a band.
I wouldn't lump it in with any other superhero movies either, because it's not a superhero movie. That's why it's awesome. As for it not being true to the character, you couldn't be more wrong. I've been reading comics since I was a kid and The Punisher is the only one I've stuck to since the early 80s. I'm a die hard Frank fan, and this movie is much more along the lines of the comic than the other 2 Punisher movies. The one with Thomas Jane was embarrassingly soft, War Zone was really good but Dolph was the best Punisher. Frank did many things in the comic's story line that initially went against his own moral code, but the end result justified the means to him. Hence the reason he worked with the mob in this story line in. Comparing this to any other cookie cutter Marvel movie made recently is comparing apples and oranges, this movie is brutal and the most accurate representation of The Punisher to date.
its always annoying because i liked the actor who played frank in the second movie (not war zone the one before it) and in general i liked the movie but i wish that actor got to play a more violent punisher with more story.
@@JDubya2k I mean it goes along with Frank's character to rescue children, no matter who's they are, and the movie didn't need the kingpin or jigsaw .
Totally agree. I love the film and wish they'd made more like it. I'd really love to see a return to the sort of dark, gritty urban action movies of the 80s, but I don't think it's going to happen.
Lol, I remember Bravo showing this too. They used to air it all the bloody time... Well, when they weren't showing Ghost in the Shell over and over.
Larry Bundy Jr And ghost in the shell was a great film!
:V
As far as films being true to the spirit of the comics I rank this film very high especially their courage to go rated R and the fact they didn't make it kiddy.
Good analytical review,but I disagree I think this is one of the most underrated comic book movies.
Absolutely. It is a great movie.
"speaks in rhymes for reasons unexplained" actually they did explain... He said he used to be a stage actor.
This movie was a great dive into a touch of the old ultra-violence that defined 80s cinema. It's a shame it has such as negative legacy.
I'm amazed by how many punisher 89 fans there are I love this movie
Me too I love it to death
First One 💀
Authentic!
Its a true classic :)
the rough version is because
it was never edited into
the movie
and looked like a behind
the scenes view
those scenes show how
FRANK CASTLE
was a different
persona than the
PUNISHER
FRANK CASTLE :
a husband
a father
a cop
the PUNISHER :
cold
dark
violent
partially evil
not alive not dead he just exists
The Punisher is one of the coolest Dark Heroes
good old memories ...summer '93 in germany, barbecue-party with 50 metalheads / hardcore-fans ...the DJ played Biohazard's "punishment" and we all were shouting the intro: COME ON GOD, ANSWER ME ...btw i discovered the movie with this song :) thanx NYHC!
+1bottlejackdaniels That's a badass intro to a song. I haven't heard the song before so I'm listening to it now.
The casino shootout is still one of my favorite scenes to crank up the volume on. Along with the scene from Predator where the squad invades the compound, Marty returning to 1985 in Back to the Future, the dogfight in Air Force One, the dogfight in Independence Day, and most recently Iron Man joining the fight in Avengers.
I honestly believe that Thomas Jane in 2004 was the best punisher, but that's just my opinion.
Phantm King biggest problem with that film is that it didn't go far at all with the violence, wasn't it PG-13?
Phantm King You not the only one.
Phantm King No. It was rated r.
Ya know, technically the 2004 film, with jane, Travolta and Rebecca Stamos was a prequel to this 1989 movie. That's how I always watched them.
There's two Punisher movies: 1989 version and Punisher: War Zone. The Thomas Jane movie doesn't exist.
Combine both of em together and make 1 good movie and get and get Dolph Londgren to play it if not get Jon Bernthal to play it
@@RockandrollNegro i liked the 2004 movie. sure its not the greates but i liked the guy who played punisher and had some cool scenes. mind you i have bias because i loved it as a kid as it was the only one i watched. wasnt a big fan of war zone as a kid but probably because it changed actor.
It makes sense.
i actually love this film
Great film does his own stunts
I like this movie. I don't like the 2004 version with Thomas Jane. Dolph Lundgren is the best "Punisher".
The Stoner names Jane, Thomas Jane :P
Wtf John berndal is best punsiher
@@malik87breaker Thomas Jane sucks.
It's a matter of taste.. I love all the punishers, they all brought something good to the character.
Agreed
Just re-watched this the other night. I think the character "Shake" may have been a former stage actor or fan of Shakespeare. He mentions playing Hamlet at one point. Thats probably why he talks in rhymes.
This movie never deserved its negative reputation. It's a solid action movie and relatively faithful to the comics.
This was without a doubt the best punisher movie ever made.
AGREE
kinda fuckin sick of people complaining about the skull on his shirt; I think you have to remember that no actual major comic "Book" hero besides Superman had really been put on theatrical film in what wouldve been the modern era then, & there were probably legit concerns that it would come off silly in a live action context; after all, even now live action doesn't ever capture the stylized coolness of good comic art. I think Dolph's physical presence as Frank with the black hair actually feels more visually right than the two more recent flicks.
Damn your reviews are entertaining Oliver!!! I have been watching/rewatching all of your reviews for about the last 2 days now. I actually find them, your reviews, more entertaining than many of the films you review in their entirety. Although thanks for reviewing 'Prince of Darkness.' I'm going to watch that for the first time as soon as I can drag myself away from your excellent reviews!!!
Dolph is the best Frank Castle and this is the best screen adaptation of The Punisher by miles.
Agree!
@@lazarusblackwell6988definitely right ✅ about that 👌
This movie had an awesome script, and the action was fucking badass. loved this movie.
My favourite Punisher movie along with War Zone. Love the scene where he ziplines off the roof and blasts everyone with a shotgun then he's running along side a van full of criminals blasting them.
I love the scene when Jake visits the punisher in the police cell too. Thats a really cool scene.
If you buy the blu ray it contains a version of the film with all the scenes of Frank with his family and working as a cop with his partner, Jake.
It's not at all correct to say Punisher sales had dropped sharply in 1989. In fact, his popularity was likely still rising. The Punisher had 2 monthly series by 1989 and a third was added in 1992, which is probably the peak of his popularity.
Dolph is the Punisher IMO, this movie gets a bad rap
Even with its flaws it's the best Punisher Movie. It's got guns, fighting, explosions some blood, some torture but lots of Punishment.
Agreed 100 percent
I think the fact they didn’t use the skull logo on his shirt is in part because of how dark and “grounded” they were trying to make it. Sort of the same reason Brian Singer opted to not use the comic book look for the X-Men’s uniforms when it came to his movie.
Also I could see The Punisher “teaming-up” with a mob boss to defeat a larger foe with the understanding he would definitely be expecting the mob boss to double cross him when the job is over and because of that would already have a plan in place to kill the mob boss.
It’s the whole “enemy of my enemy” thing. The mob boss wouldn’t be a partner but only a tool to get the job done and once it’s is done there is no further use for it.
I recorded this in the early 1990s and still have the VHS recording I made, with a custom label I drew myself. I have rewatched this movie hundreds of times.
Awesome, vastly underrated movie - ultra violent and brutal, just as the punisher should be. And Dolph was perfectly cast - intimidating as hell. He is By far and away the best punisher
This was a lot closer to the comics than a hell of a lot of movies back then so I have no complaints about it. There has been a lot worse come out since then lol!
yes, that movie does grow on you
I was reading the comic version of the movie and those deleted scenes were in the comics, also, the skull was added later on when they raid the yakuza building...
No The 1989 punisher did not go straight to video. It did get a theater release. I saw it in the theater here in North Alabama.
"...on a channel called Bravo" suddenly feel very old. Bravo was awesome.
Pretty sure they had manga on it too. Great channel.
The Boom mic is seen because the open matte, it would have disapeared when they add the black letterbox.
I watch this movie every year on my birthday.
I remember that there was an interview with the director who said that putting a huge giant skull on his front would make him look like he was in a comic book. Instead they put a skull on the bottom of the handle of The Punisher's knife.
What a dumb reason. The whole point should be to give the movie a comic book feel. The 2004 version did that well.
Bravo from what I remember only showed the video version which was missing a lot of violence. Even now the UK DVD is the same as the US R-rated edition which is also cut.
When this came out on VHS in January 1991 the Punisher comic books had not even hit the prime sales that was 1993 ,with three ongoing monthly titles , The punisher, Punisher War Journal, Punisher War zone, plus this was filmed in late 1987 , but took ages to come to video , the late great Barry Norman did a review on film 90 , and I actually seen this at the cinema, and the PUNISHER is NOT a Batman rip off, he's a Mack Bolan the EXECUTIONER rip off lol
Am I the only one who loves this movie?
No its my favourite film of all time so no you're not alone
for me this is the best punisher movie. I would have loved a sequel with the skull.
I'll watch Dolph Lundgren's Punisher over Tom Jane's the only issue I have with Punisher War Zone is jigsaw is too over the top for the tone of the film
I wholeheartedly agree
If only war zone was more grounded.
i preferred tom jane as the actor in punisher but war zone was more true.
I wouldn't exactly call Dolph Lundgren's performance wooden: it might be an intentional direction to portray The Punisher as a husk of a man and to me Lundgren's performance nails Castle's character from the earlier versions of a comics which fewer people would consider superior to Ennis's run (a good one, but I find it's violence a bit too cartoonish to see it as serious: an often intentional thing with Ennis), but there are fans, me included.
I like how he says they didn't think Tim Burton's Batman wasnt going to be any competition. Today Jon Berenthal's Punisher in a big screen movie wouldnt make as much money as another Batman movie, ha ha! By the way Dead Heat is a classic and Spider Man directed by Joe Zito....????, hilarious!
Just watched it this afternoon again and it is definitely an entertaining eighties actionmovie.
By far my favorite Punisher movie, I’m watching it right now on TH-cam. They got so much about the character right. The newer movies are too polished.. In a way it feel’s like a made for TV film but I wish they would re-make this movie. It was way before it’s time and not enough people have seen it.
3:01 - in 1989, The Punisher was Marvel's most popular character. He was featured in Punisher, Punisher War Journal, plus several specials and graphic novels.
Some of the best comics too.
At the time Punisher first appeared, Batman actually still killed bad guys. I can list a number of comics from the 70's and 80's (and even a few from the 90's) in which Batman kills with cold efficiency.
Gotta say Oliver...I've been reading all your reviews the past 2 days and love them. Keep up the good work:)
yeah i will probably try and review them soon. Its been added to the list. :)
Oliver Harper great review and movie i didnt found the skcul is that important like 2004 version its cool punisher one of the best
I like this take on the Punisher....I like the understated comedy with the drunk guy...I thought this was better than the Travolta one....more campy, over the top vs. the Travolta one, which was SO dark.....
...The sad part is this is probably the best punisher movie
dada bubz So true. This movie is pretty good. The second movie is the worst for me but Thomas Jane is great as the Punisher. Shame about the script.
dada bubz Dirty Laundry > Punisher 89 > War Zone > Punisher 04
So happy about Daredevil Season 2. Fans might finally get justice with a Punisher that hits all the right notes.
Kent Merr Now that you mention it I think if a proper Punisher adaptation were to be made a Netflix series would be a more likely candidate.
When I said it might be the best Punisher I just meant in my own opinion. I don't really care about stats. Anyways I admit that I can't remember the 89 version that well (except liking it as a kid) I think it's safe to assume that no Punisher movie is as good as it should be.
I love this movie :)
Loved it the first time i watched it and i still love it now :)
Dolph Lungren to me will always be the Punisher its not even close.
Yeah, you lost me talking about Punishers comic sales sliding when this was released in 1990. When the movie came out, he was blowing up in the comics. He went from 1 to 3 titles.
Jeroen Krabbe was also main villain in The Fugitive with Harrison Ford as Dr Charles Nichols and in the James Bond film The Living Daylights in 1987 goes against Timothy Daltons James Bond
I want to watch this again been too long! Another brilliant review👏
"Daredevil" Season 2 just cast John Bernthal for the role of "The Punisher".
sfighter00 aka NTR guy from Walking Dead. lol
+sfighter00 AAWWW YEAH!!
+rebirth2526 NTR?
he didn't wear the skull, but this movie did a great job of modernizing punisher at the time (the character left the "superhero" costume for boots and jeans a few years later in the war zone comic)
great chamnel, i think i wasted an hour watching these great videos
loved the movie when i was a kid
I still love this film even now I think Dolph did a great job with the material he had, giving us an emotionally stripped out version of a Punisher who is so haunted by losing his family, he's virtually shut down.
Out of all the Punisher films and TV series, this one is the best.
I love this movie
Watched it 3 times so far and I Love it
can you do a review of RobotJox? I love to see others respective, retrospective, prospective.
Jon bernthal upped the stakes with his version of frank castle. This was good for it’s time but bernthal has taken it to another level in the series
This movie is the reason why I'm a Punisher fan today, this is the best Punisher movie.
I also wanted to say that I was reading about the casting for this movie and one of the people who was on the short list was none other than Christopher Lambert! I think Lambert would’ve been a great choice and I can see why they were looking at him. In the end, Dolph Lundgren was definitely better suited for the role when you look at his intimidating height and stature and the fact that he’s a real martial artist and a competitive kick boxer.
Dolph makes a good Punisher. He has the right height for the role and looks cool. It's actually being re-booted AGAIN and I really hope they do it justice this time because it deserves it.
If you find the deleted scenes of this film and watch it before you start this film, more of this film would make sense
What do they show?
love the vids, great job.
FRANK CASTLE
aka
the PUNISHER
being tortured to death
says to
Lady Tanaka
" HAVE a NICE DAY "
Just stumbled upon this great channel and the Retrospective/Review section.
The narration you use for the video opening is also used in DJ Skinheads Track Extreme Terror. I'm pretty surprised.
I love to show my friends this Film, they don't believe me when I tell them there is a 30 year old Punisher Film starring Dolph Lundgren.
The black hair suits Dolph, he has the image right for Dolph but the character in the comics does look a lot different more rougher around the edges i suppose.
Nooo I adore this movie , also I can’t believe u didn’t mention that frank lives in the sewers or the torture scene or when the ninjas go down the giant wooden slides.
Great review, I have a similar opinion of the film but I enjoyed lungrens take on the character and I did miss the skull too, it just didn't feel right without it.
Yeah Stan Lee didn't like the live action Spiderman show but if you do a quick search online you will find out the Spiderman 70s show was extremely popular.
Believe it or not this is my favorite Punisher movie the other two I felt we're naft in comparison.
Nice look at one of Dolph's better movies. I also was a bit underwhelmed when I first saw this but being a big action junkie, I can't deny that it has it's moments. If they focussed more on the character of the Punisher than the whole mob war thing, it would have been a much better film.
I think Shake is a failed Shakespearean stage actor, thus why he speaks in rhyme. Doesn't need much background on that.
Also, a major mistake of the film is the fact that the Yakuza is led by a woman. Yakuza doesn't have female leaders. But I don't care. I liked that, actually. The little mute girl giving Castle a hard time is also quite cool.
Pixtureske That was major plot point in the movie.
I remember the director, of this film, saying
that they decided to edit the classic skull
emblem, on the chest, being that it was too
"COMIC BOOKY"???? Ooookay.
"Who sent you?" "Batman".
I found this on DVD at a pawn shop for like 3 bucks
Dolph's Punisher is the best incarnation on screen ever. Its realistic, dark and exacty how a Punisher movie should be. Too bad a sequal was never made. I don't care that he doesn't wear a skull on his chest. The knife blades with the skull is his signature and I like that touch. The story is great and the action is solid.
It is a crime, that there was no sequel!!!
I think it was a solid idea to stick close to the action movie tropes since the Punisher is in large part designed around them. It's also a bit anticipatory in designing itself first as a movie, and having the comic references as just a bonus. We see that come to the foreground with movies like Blade.
The alcoholic sidekick is called Shake's and recites in rhyme because he is supposed to be an failed Shakespearean actor.
this is my punisher movie
When the film was released thenPunisher was doing excellent on comic book sales ;he had three obngoing aeries ,multiple guest appearances and some graphic novels, from them I reccomend Punisher Big Nothing, and Assasin s Guild, they can compete and even surpass most of Ennis material. The Punisher sales and quality dropped on 1995.