The Punisher (1989)
If society won't punish the guilty, he will.
Keywords
The Punisher rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
IMDb5.6/10· 27K votes
Rotten Tomatoes24%
Metacritic63%
TMDb5.754/10· 684 votesWith 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 5.6/10 on IMDb and 63/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been modest.
About The Punisher
The avenging angel of Marvel Comics fame comes brilliantly to life in this searing action-adventure thriller! Dolph Lundgren stars as Frank Castle, a veteran cop who loses his entire family to a mafia car bomb. His ex-partner believes Castle survived the blast and became the Punisher, living in the sewers and exacting vigilante violence against mob bosses throughout the city. When the populace is caught in the midst of a gang war that he caused, Castle must again emerge from the shadows and save the innocent.
Cast of The Punisher
Dolph Lundgren
as Frank Castle
Louis Gossett Jr.
as Jake Berkowitz
Jeroen Krabbé
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
Kenji Yamaki
as Sato
- H
Hirofumi Kanayama
as Tomio
Larry McCormick
as TV Newsreader
The Punisher facts
- Budget
- $9M
Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026MethodologyData sources
Audience opinions
What the audience liked
- •Gritty action direction captures vengeful protagonist intensity effectively
- •Comic book adaptation respects source material core themes
- •Dark tone differentiates from typical superhero origin stories
What the audience disliked
- •Dated cinematography and effects diminish visual impact significantly
- •Slow pacing undermines action tension in vigilante narrative
Trailer
Where to watch The Punisher(GB)
View on JustWatch →Rent / Buy
Sky StoreAvailability may change. Data by JustWatch.
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