'THE PUNISHER' STARRING DOLPH LUNDGREN HEADS TO FREE STREAMING IN APRIL
Before the blockbuster behemoth that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comic book movies were pretty few and far between. Not only that, but they were a seriously mixed bag (even more so than now), often straying far from the source material. To remind comic book fans of how things used to be, the 1989 Marvel effort The Punisher – which finds action icon Dolph Lundgren in the title role – has set its sights on free streaming.
Directed by Mark Goldblatt and, of course, loosely based on the Marvel Comics' character of the same name, The Punisher stars Dolph Lundgren as Frank Castle who, in this version, is a police officer who embarks on a deadly one-man war against crime after his family is murdered. So, at least some of the elements are still in place.
The rest of the cast includes Louis Gossett, Jr., Jeroen Krabbé, Kim Miyori, Bryan Marshall, Todd Boyce, Brian Rooney, Nancy Everhard. The Punisher is all set to land on free streaming platform Tubi on April 1, and you can check out the official synopsis below.
Based on the popular Marvel comic book, this film begins with Frank Castle (Dolph Lundgren) as a respected police officer dedicated to eradicating the Mafia's influence -- that is, until the mob responds with a lethal car bomb that decimates Castle's family. Now, filled with rage and presumed dead from the horrific explosion, Castle takes to the city's underground sewer tunnels to bring his own brutal brand of vigilante justice to the streets and wreak vengeance on those who killed his family.
'The Punisher' Now Has a Cult Following
The Punisher was savaged by both critics and audiences alike upon release. The movie stands at just 25% from the former and 33% from the latter on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading, “Despite the seemingly indestructible Dolph Lundgren with a crossbow, The Punisher is a boring one-man battle with never-ending action scenes.” However, since then, The Punisherhas acquired a cult following thanks to the no-nonsense ‘80s action charm and the enduring legacy of Rocky and The Expendables star Dolph Lundgren, as well as the world of Marvel now being more mainstream than ever.
Speaking of which, The Punisher and his violent vendetta against criminals is still going strong on-screen. Following the solo efforts The Punisher in 2004 starring Thomas Jane and 2008’s Punisher: War Zone starring the late Ray Stevenson, The Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal was brought in to play the character as part of Netflix’s Marvel series, Daredevil, back in 2015, before leading two series of a solo Punisher show.
The actor quickly made an impression, bringing the tortured intensity, rage, and sadness necessary for the character, with Bernthal’s portrayal now considered the best live-action iteration of The Punisher. Bernthal now sports the skull-emblazoned body armor as part of the MCU in the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again, with Bernthal also set to return for a Punisher Special Presentation on the streamer.
2025-03-26T04:39:07Z