`89 Punisher

[Donnie Darko]

It had Dolph and LOU GOSSETT Jr. The coolest black bald guy ever in hollywood movies. I don't care what Samuel L Jackson tries to say.

Lou Gossett Jr. is the man. For those who doubt, see Diggstown.

 

[chamber-music]

I actually enjoyed this movie more than punisher 04. Dolphs punisher was practically suicidal.

Also the movie had some of the best 80s cheesey action movie lines the 80s had to offer

Franco: "There's a limit to revenge, you know"
Punisher:" I guess I just haven't reached mine yet"


Lady Tanaka:"Who sent you?"
Punisher:"Batman"


Leary:"How long do you think someone can live after you've ripped out their heart?"
Punisher:"A long... time"

 

[Nivek]

I spent $80 to get a VHS boot of this in 1990, outside of the lack of Skullage, Frank turning down Kevlar, and obnoxious co-stars (why does there always have to be a damn kid in peril?) I thought it was pretty damn good at the time. Honestly, I would put this above War Zone just on the basis that the action and bad-guys were better than what we seen in that mess.

 

[Brian Braddock]

Agreed, Nivek.

Sure, it was obviously on the cheap side of the things, but the tone of the movie was spot-on. So is the action.

Plus Dolph, just in case anyone was in doubt, was also the perfect choice for the Punisher at the time:-

Hugely underrated movie.

 

[The Guard]

You know what I love? The sequence where he's at a Yakuza's drug delivery or whatever it is, and he shoots an arrow through one of the gangsters and slides down that rope line firing all the way.

 

[Brian Braddock]

Yeah, that's freaking awesome. That and the fun-house battle with the ninjas are the films highlights, for me. Hell, even the enigmating intro where Frank offs the mafia guys in the mansion is great.

They didnt have much cash, but they made up for it with imagination.

 

[Kable24]

What is there to get? His military background? OK ya that's really deep. Punish the guilty? Ok we're really getting deep now!! No matter what his background is, He's an army of one running around the streets of NYC killing people that commit crimes.

I think people confuse one dimensional and simple concept. The Punisher character is a simple concept. military man's family is killed in front of him. He vows vengeance. That's the simple concept. The one dimensional part is what the character was going through in the 90's. You could say Batman is one dimensional if you say he's just a guy seeking vengeance. it's how the character's are written that can either make them more in depth or the standard fare. I think some writers have made the Punisher very in depth psychological and interesting character. others have mad ehim a one trick pony. Writers who write him like a gun blazing psycho (Whedon) have no knowledge of the character. Maybe, I feel I know a lot of the character since I have been reading him for 22 years now.


The idea of the Punisher is a simple concept, but he's not a one-dimensional character.

 

[RogueDK]

"Look...they are going to electrocute you and there isn't a damn thing that I can do about it unless you let me in -"

*Starts slapping Frank*

"LET ME IN! LET ME IN! They were my f**kin' family too! Huh? They were my f**kin family too! LET ME IN! LET ME IN!

Awesome sequence, awesome movie. I don't care how low budget it looked.

 

[Kable24]

The best lines still are:

"What do you call 125 murders in 5 years?"

"Work in progress."

 

[RogueDK]

The best lines still are:

"What do you call 125 murders in 5 years?"

"Work in progress."

Indeed.


My son and I always play running joke around the house with this one:

Gossett: "You're crazy...you know that don't you?"

Dolph with an Academy Award winning pause:

"....No I'm not..."

 

[Brian Braddock]

Dolph's largely underrated as an actor too; sure, he's no Olivier but he gets unfair flack from time to time.

A person only needs to go watch 'Pentathlon' to see how he can act.

 

[RogueDK]

Dolph's largely underrated as an actor too; sure, he's no Olivier but he gets unfair flack from time to time.

A person only needs to go watch 'Pentathlon' to see how he can act.

Yes he does have skills. I really believed that his Frank Castle was the most detached of the three actors who've played The Punisher.

I love the '89 one way more than the '04.

 

[Kable24]

I like all 3 Punishers in their own way. I used to really like Dolph. I can't wait to see him in the Expendables.

 

[Sundancer]

I don't care much for Dolph's acting, but his wooden approach is almost perfect for Frank. Frank's awesome but he's so psychologically scarred on several levels that he's become an emotional flatline.

(Yakzua Lady says all the horrible things she's going to do to Frank who's starpped to a torture machine ... She turns to storm out....)

Frank: Hey.

(she turns around, pissed)

Frank: Have a nice day.




I paid $5 for this DVD and am pleased with it.

 

[The Guard]

I love what he says to the mob boss's kid when he tries to kill him, and what he implies will happen if the kid doesn't toe the line.

 

[Cain]

I loved it then and I still enjoy it now. Still the only watchable Punisher movie IMO. I really can't stand the other 2.

 

[chamber-music]

I love what he says to the mob boss's kid when he tries to kill him, and what he implies will happen if the kid doesn't toe the line.

Yeah that was cool. I wish Janes Punisher had a bit more of that.

 

[Brian Braddock]

I look at the '04 version and the more and more I do, the less I like it, to be honest.

I'm imagining an alternate reality where Dolph's Punisher got a sequel instead.................

 

[RogueDK]

I look at the '04 version and the more and more I do, the less I like it, to be honest.

You're not alone on that one. I barely watch the 04 one because it seems so much like a chore to do. '89 is more enjoyable with repeated viewings.

One thing that I'm sure many Punisher fans can agree on, Tanaka probably had more balls as a villian than either of the other Castle baddies in the other two films.

 

[returntovoid]

I have not watched this Punisher but I'm thinking of watching it.

 

[RogueDK]

I have not watched this Punisher but I'm thinking of watching it.

I got my copy of this flick at Wal-Mart for five bucks. It's definetely a good movie.

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

I look at the '04 version and the more and more I do, the less I like it, to be honest.

I'm imagining an alternate reality where Dolph's Punisher got a sequel instead.................

The 04 version doesn't feel at all like a Punisher movie to me.

This one is begging for a proper DVD release.

 

[returntovoid]

This one is begging for a proper DVD release.

You mean, DVD with s**t load of special features???

 

[Kable24]

yeah because it has a dvd release, just a plain jane dvd though.

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

I don't think it has one here in the UK though

I'll have to make do with my recorded-off-tv version.