Superhero Media: The Punisher (1989)

Despite continuing adaptations of Frank Castle to the screen, there remains something of a cult following for this 1989 entry starring Dolph Lundgren and featuring very few elements of the character, lacking even so much as the iconic skull shirt. I would say that the appeal for devotees would be down to The Punisher being something of one of the last of the "classic" style of 1980s action films, complete with lack of character depth, a European superhuman of dubious acting ability and some unfortunate Japanaphobia and queer-coding. That's not to say that The Punisher is bad, but it's not exactly "good" either, being more in the "fun trash" mould of Demolition Man than an instant classic like Predator. Frank Castle is a former police officer, thought dead by most people, living in the sewers and methodically murdering his way through the local mobsters responsible for his family's deaths. Frank's former partner, Jake is trying to prove he's still alive and behind the actions of the vigilante the media has dubbed "The Punisher". 

Because just watching Frank murder wave after wave of mobsters with increasingly elaborate firearms is too obvious, the plot follows an attempted Yakuza takeover of the New York (I think? The actual location is pretty nebulous and unclear) and the last of the great Italian families trying to keep them at bay. Although this is a great concept to throw the Punisher into, the unfortunate '80's tropes of "everyone from Japan is a ninja" and Japanese corporate takeovers and doesn't really have anything to say about the Eastern Economic Juggernaut of the 1980s. Also the Yakuza lead is a woman and heavily queer-coded, which is pretty unique, but there's nothing much there aside from the neat idea. Again, all of this is good fodder for a Punisher story, but here is really nothing more than a reason to keep the plot churning over. The one notable addition to the story is "Shake", a failed Shakespearean actor turned homeless alcoholic who has befriended Frank and helps out on occasion for comic relief. 

The Punisher delivers nicely on the blood and violence, with a Hot Shots! Part Deux style bullet-count and massive guns to suit Dolph's frame. This really is just a trashy '80s action film with a version of Frank Castle shoehorned in, not that that really matters or is at all a detriment, it's just how it all shakes out. Although it's not really my kind of thing, The Punisher is good enough, or at least engaging enough, to deserve its cult status, despite some uncomfortable dating in parts. This really isn't a good adaptation of The Punisher though, as Frank Castle is barely a character in it, more of an idea to hang a generic film on and a motivation for the protagonist. As we move through the film adaptations of the character, it's interesting to see just how often the comics are only passably referenced, as if Frank is merely another version of Arthur Bishop or Max Rockatanski to build a bloody revenge narrative around, rather than a distinct character within his own world with a role to play in the bigger picture.