THE PUNISHER MOVIE

“ IF SOCIETY WON’T PUNISH THE GUILTY, HE WILL ”

DIRECTED BY: Mark Goldblatt

WRITTEN BY: Boaz Yakin (and Robert Mark Kamen)

PRODUCED BY: Su Armstrong, Robert Guralnick, Robert Mark Kamen

ORIGINAL MUSIC BY: Dennis Dreith

MAIN CAST DETAILS:                  Dolph Lundgren as ‘The Punisher/Frank Castle’ Louis Gossett Jr. as ‘Jake Berkowitz’         Jeroen Krabbe as ‘Gianni Franco’                    Kim Miyori as ‘Lady Tanaka’                         Bryan Marshall as ‘Dino Moretti’                 Nancy Everhard as ‘Sam Leary’                    Barry Otto as ‘Shake’                                   Brian Rooney as ‘Tommy Franco’                Zoshka Mizak as ‘Tanaka’s Daughter’

CERT: 18 (UK)        RUNNING TIME: 86 mins YEAR OF RELEASE: 1989

UK VIDEO SLEEVE NOTES: Frank Castle is The Punisher. Ex-cop turned vigilante, Castle has spent five years wreaking bloody revenge on the city’s Mafia’s kingpins for the murder of his family. Lt Jake Berkowitz has spent just as long trying to track him down. Now there is a new enemy to be punished. In a deadly crusade of brutality and terror, Japan’s Mafia crime lords are seeking total supremacy on the city’s streets. And only The Punisher can stop them...

Hard-hitting and explosive, The Punisher is the powerful story of one man’s relentless quest for justice and ultimate retribution. If you’re guilty, you’re dead...

*****

KNOWN (POSITIVE-ISH) REVIEWS:                                                    Leonard Maltin’s Movie and Video Guide: ‘A cop whose family was wiped out by gangsters retaliates: he wipes out gangsters (125 in five years, and still counting). Cop Gossett and, especially, gangster Krabbe come close to rising above script, adapted from a Marvel Comics character created by Gerry Conway.’

Apollo Movie Guide: ‘This ultra violent film is inspired by a comic book hero. The body count is huge. The Punisher was Lundgren's third starring role, and we get exactly what you'd expect from him - lots of muscle.’

MovieThing.com: ‘Based on the famous comic book vigilante, this movie is a non-stop, action packed adventure starring Dolph Lundgren as the Punisher. If you like good action then you'll love this movie’

Fold, Spindle or Mutilate: ‘High body count! Loads of fun! Creative spindling! Four splat rating!’

Sunday Express: ‘A high-tech celluloid comic strip’

Daily Star: ‘Lashings of action and enjoyable performances’

Sunday Mirror: ‘Dolph Lundgren is perfectly cast as The Punisher’

*****

MEMORABLE QUOTES:                                                                                                          SAM LEARY: ‘How long do you think someone can live after you've ripped out their heart?  FRANK CASTLE: ‘A long... time.’

PUNISHER: ‘I PUNISH THE GUILTY!’                                                                              SHAKE: ‘And as a result the innocent must suffer?’

PUNISHER: ‘I still talk to God sometimes, I ask him if what I'm doing is right or wrong, I'm still waiting for an answer, and until I get one, I'll be waiting, watching, THE GUILTY WILL BE PUNISHED!’

JAKE BERKOWITZ: ‘What the f**k do you call 125 murders in 5 years?’                    PUNISHER: ‘Work in progress.’

GIANNI FRANCO: ‘There's a limit to revenge, you know.’                                                    PUNISHER: ‘I guess I just haven't reached mine yet.’

*****

ALTERNATE VERSIONS:                                                                      * The Japanese import laserdisc version of the film is widescreen and uncut.                             * The Finnish video version is cut by 11 minutes.

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