Punisher fans have seen ups and downs with how their favorite vigilante justice anti-hero has been portrayed in films and television. Still, the subject of Dolph Lundgren in the role packs a punch that could put Sylvester Stallone in the hospital. As news of the Punisher series moving to Disney+ circulates, fans are again forced to acknowledge the pieces of a broken franchise that started with Lundgren. He's hard to beat.
Lundgren's The Punisher, while not perfect, offered up genuine 1980s action clichés and a fantastic mafia vs. ninjas plot device that is fitting for a film based on the Marvel comic book. For a movie that very few Americans even saw when it was first released back in 1989, it has withstood the test of time. Passionate fans defend its glory in the wake of Marvel Studios' might and an excellent Netflix action/drama series.
Let's zero in on exactly why Lundgren's Punisher remains at the top of a mountain, albeit from an obscure cinematic dimension in Sydney, Australia.
Dolph Down Under
New World Pictures (a Roger Corman enterprise) financed the project with a script penned by Boaz Yakin and was the second feature film to be directed by Mark Goldblatt, who has edited some of the greatest action movies of all time, including The Terminator 1 & 2, Commando, Rambo 2, and True Lies. The studio sent Lundgren and crew to Sydney, Australia, to bring the iconic Marvel superhero to life on a nine-million dollar budget.
Goldblatt's other feature was the cult classic Dead Heat from 1988, a blend of the buddy cop formula mixed with zombies that featured genre favorites Treat Williams, Darren McGavin, and Vincent Price in one of his final onscreen performances. After watching two machine gun-wielding zombies standoff, endlessly firing at one another, it becomes fairly obvious why Goldblatt was chosen to helm the film for what is arguably the most over-the-top action icon of all time.
The Punisher '89 is a fascinating combination of artistic brilliance and budgetary challenges. The execution was so good you hardly notice the film's shortcomings. It moves at an excellent pace and delivers exactly what is needed when you need it. Unfortunately, fans at the time couldn't see past the missing skull on Frank Castle's chest, and the technologically limited fan forums at the time were as loud as they could possibly be in rejecting the entire film based on this criticism, which is an oversight if you pay attention to the movie. The skull shows up in subtle ways, in the makeup on Dolph's face and on the ends of the pig sticker knives he launches into the throats of his enemies.
A missed opportunity was presented in the end when Castle's thespian friend Shake, played by Barry Otto (the film's reinterpretation of Punisher's sidekick, Micro), is preparing to help him trigger explosive devices. With a bit of chalk along with his whimsical rhyming dialogue, Shake could have easily drawn a skull on Castle's chest for the purpose of "theatrics," but such corrections are a bit absurd to ponder thirty-three years later.
As more and more classics from the past make comebacks in the 2020s, it is not outside the realm of possibilities to ponder Lundgren's return to the role. Considering all the multidimensional antics studios like Marvel and DC are currently reaping the rewards from, perhaps there is a way to launch a stand-alone project, leaving the fans to contemplate its existence. The Punisher has always worked best as a kind of Death Wish gone wild, grounded in reality with a tongue firmly planted in cheek. In 2004, Thomas Jane starred in the second attempt to bring The Punisher to the big screen, which embraced more of the blatant comic book elements of the story.
Thomas Jane Pain
While the 2004 movie was received well by most fans, there was a loud minority who called out specific choices from the 1989 film that put Jane's version to shame. This opinion seemed to spread over time. The incredibly well-executed score from the '89 film is a highlander compared to the music in Jane's film. If there can be only one Punisher theme, it is the 1989 anthem composed by Dennis Dreith. The music is an assault on the senses and was made during that special time when movie score themes were essential, while no one can really explain why that is no longer the case.
The 2004 film was directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, who crafted more of a psychological revenge plot, which saw the main villain played by John Travolta lose everything he cared about by the end. Fans argued that the formula lacked the no holds barred action element clearly present in the '89 version. Jane's version was also criticized for featuring villains that were too silly. The Punisher presents a tight rope to be believable yet over the top enough to satisfy the action movie connoisseur. Jane's version of Frank Castle also buried his dead family depression in bottles of Jack Daniels, whereas Lundgren went utterly insane, talking to God in his sewer system hideout. Lundgren's version felt more on point in that regard.
Ray Stevenson Grievances
2008 saw the release of Punisher: War Zone, directed by Lexi Alexander and starring Ray Stevenson. War Zone was another attempt to walk that tight rope of comic book action flair and human drama. While the movie featured more gore than we had ever experienced in a Punisher movie, it missed the mark with character and motivation. The film brought comic book villain Jigsaw to the screen, which did the movie no favors as the performance by Dominic West, who is typically fantastic on screen, was completely ridiculous and irritating.
While Stevenson was an excellent choice to play the stoic, brooding menace that is The Punisher, he wasn't given a great script, and the movie was deemed ugly and vapant by most critics.
Jon Bernthal For All
In 2016, Jon Bernthal showed up in the awesome second season of the Daredevil series. He brought more humanity to the role of Frank Castle than we had ever seen before, along with his truly intimidating disposition. Bernthal is a great choice for the character and has proven The Punisher can work on screen, fulfilling the role in a believable and dramatic way. Some may argue he's too vulnerable to play what is, in essence, the Superman of revenge.
Bernthal worked incredibly well as Robert De Niro's son in the underappreciated Grudge Match from 2014. He has a De Niro quality that is undeniable. His approach to the character, with a tendency to keep things highly grounded in reality, may evolve into the more stoic superhero that fans know and love. Back in the '80s, before Lundgren was cast in the role, New World was eyeing Michael Paré to play Frank Castle, which scheduling conflicts ultimately prevented. This makes a lot of sense when you watch Paré on screen in the 1980s. His jawline is straight out of a comic book, and he has that stiff quality that works so well for The Punisher's brand.
A Stand-Alone Sequel?
While the notion of returning to the role of Frank Castle likely seems absurd to Dolph Lundgren, the current trends around the cinematic Superhero multiverse seem to make room for the possibility. It would be wild to imagine where the character is thirty-some years after he simultaneously took down the Yakuza and the Mafia. At this point, little Tommy Franco is the gown man Castle was warning not to become like his corrupt father, Gianni Franco, played impeccably well by Jeroen Krabbé.
Maybe Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. may take an interest in appearing in a follow-up story. As long as director Mark Goldblatt and composer Dennis Dreith are involved, it may be a project worth considering.