Throwback Thursday: Do the Punisher movies still hold up and did they ever?

Punisher (1989)

Dolph Lundgren was at the beginning of his acting career in the 1980s. In 1985, Lundgren played the icon Ivan Drago in Rocky IV — a character that’s still cherished. He then went on to play He-Man in Masters of the Universe in 1987. Saying that it was bad is an understatement. Two years later, he jumped into the role of Frank Castle in The Punisher. Full disclosure, this writer was too young to see it in 1989. The first time I saw it was in 2005. It wasn’t good then. However, it was the ’80s. Action movies weren’t supposed to be amazing blockbusters. Watching it over a decade later, the blame for this being bad can’t be put on Dolph Lundgren’s head.

Let’s take one of the first scenes… Frank Castle is meditating and having an inner monologue in a dank sewer. It’s doubtful that Lundgren went, “You know what would really bring my role up a notch? Me naked and emotional in the sewer.” No one wanted that then. Now? It’s downright funny. Lundgren’s Frank Castle goes on a long list of movies that are perfect to watch with friends if you’re looking to have a bad movie night. The acting and dialogue are bad, and the action is decent for the time. Maybe the most memorable part is when someone asked who sent him. He replies, “Batman.” You gotta love the ’80s.

Does it hold up: No, but it’s still entertaining.