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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.

No, this is not CITIZEN KANE. But it is an entertaining film that did make a somewhat unbelievable Marvel "hero" to celluloid.

Lundgren plays Frank Castle, a former NYPD detective (originally a military special ops expert in the comic) who loses his family to a mob hit. This pushes his already unstable personality over the edge, and he becomes a one-man judge, jury, and executioner. The VERY underrated Louis Gossett Jr. plays his former partner, determined to find him and keep him out of the gas chamber.

This movie is quite a decent action film. It actually delves quite deeply into the characters' motivations, their histories, their personalities. I agree with earlier comments that, out of the lot of action stars, Lundgren does bring at least some dramatic chops to the role. I really couldn't imagine Schwarzenegger playing this part, though Stallone or Willis might have been better choices.

The action sequences are done quite well for a low-budget film. The director, Mark Goldblatt, served as editor on films such as TERMINATOR 1 & 2, the underrated PREDATOR 2, TRUE LIES, STARSHIP TROOPERS, ARMAGEDDON, and PEARL HARBOR, so he definitely has knowledge of how to properly compose an action sequence. He also served as Paul Verhoeven's 2nd Unit Director on the original ROBOCOP.

The movie is rather tough to find, and though it strays away a bit from the source material, it does manage to flesh out a rather one-dimensional character.

A new version of THE PUNISHER is now being prepped, starring DREAMCATCHER's Thomas Jane as Frank Castle and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh.

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

The Punisher was made in 1990 but it remains my best comic-book adaption on screen ever. The film has captured the dark atmosphere of the comic-book like no other movie I've ever seen. Dolph plays Frank Castle, an ex-cop who retired after his wife was murdered (by the Mafia) to become a heavily-armed vigilante who lives in the sewers, called The Punisher. The story is about the Japanese Yakuza trying to take over the Mafia's business in America, causing a gang war on the streets. When the Mafia refuse to make an agreement, the Yakuza kidnap all the children of of the mob bosses to hold them for ransom. This is where Dolph has to save the day, rescue the children and put an end to the war. Louis Gosset Jr. is excellent as Dolph's ex-partner, Jake, who is now determined to find him. As The Punisher, I couldn't have thought of a better choice than Dolph. He fits the role perfecttly, and is unrelentingly cold throughout the movie. The plot is pure hokum, no doubt, but the movie looks and feels just like the Marvel comic. But this is no children's comic book movie, as the movie is packed with graphic violence that gave it a lot of negative publicity. It's a shame this movie bombed at the US box office, because it really is a great movie. If you haven't seen this gem, go rent it or buy it now!

this version of the Punisher is much different than the 2004 version.for one thing it is much darker,and probably more faithful to the comic book version.the pacing is very deliberate in this one,creating more atmosphere.there are some very good fight scenes in this movie.the biggest difference is the antagonist,which is much more deadly in this one and a worthy adversary for the Punisher.Dolph Lundgren plays the role in this incarnation and is much more imposing,with better physical presence.this is mainly due to his size.he definitely would inspire fear in the criminal element.Lundgren is not really a great actor,but he doesn't need to be for this role.overall,this a good movie,more subdued than the 2004 version.there is more physical action,but very little of things blowing up,which works in this film's favor. a strong7/10