6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Frank Castle, a veteran cop who loses his entire family to a mafia car bomb, has become THE PUNISHER... a shadowy, invincible fighter against evil who lives for total revenge on his mob enemies. Only his ex-partner believes Castle survived the blast. Lashing out from a labyrinth of subterranean sewers, THE PUNISHER leads a heavily armed raid into a world of brutal crime and savage retribution. A world where only one thing is certain...the guilty will be punished.
Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Louis Gossett Jr., Jeroen Krabbé, Kim Miyori, Bryan MarshallComic book | 100% |
Action | 93% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1, 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (256 kbps)
LPCM 2.0 Mono/DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 only on theatrical cut. Dolby Digital 2.0 only found on Workprint/Unrated cuts. Unrated features Stereo audio. Workprint's music score only comes out left channel.
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Mark Goldblatt's "The Punisher" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian distributors Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new video interview with director Mark Goldblatt; exclusive new video interview with Dolph Lundgren; archival audio commentary; gag reel; and a lot more. In English, without optional English SDH for the main feature. Region-Free.
The Punisher
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1,85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mark Goldblatt's The Punisher arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.
I don't have a DVD release of this film in my library to do some direct comparisons, but it is quite clear that the master that was used to produce the Blu-ray release must have been created a while ago. Some of the well-lit close-ups look quite good (see screencapture #2), but a lot of the darker indoor footage has limited depth. There are no traces of recent compromising digital corrections, but the grain is frequently mixed with noise that does contribute to the general flatness that is present during the darker footage. There is room for improvement in terms of color saturation; nuances can be expanded as well. Image stability is good. Finally, there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, or stains to report. Ultimately, the film can look decent in high-definition, but it is easy to tell that current master is dated and has a certain range of obvious limitations. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.
During the elaborate action sequences dynamic intensity is very good. However, it seems like the eventual transitions are slightly uneven and cause minor spikes/drops that could affect overall balance. My guess is that if in the future the audio is fully remastered in these areas balance will be marginally improved. The dialog is stable and easy to follow.
I think that this recent release of The Punisher from Australian distributors Umbrella Entertainment is very easy to recommend to fans of the film. It has exclusive new video interviews with director Mark Goldblatt and Dolph Lundgren as well as two different cuts of the film. I ended up viewing the entire Workprint Version which is actually a very different film with something of an Abel Ferrara-esque edge that reminded me of Fear City. The release is Region-Free and perfectly playable in North America. RECOMMENDED.
2008
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1994
Extended Edition
2014
2020
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2014-2015
JB Hi-Fi Exclusive
2014
1987
2015
2018
1985
2014
1985
2019
2019
2010
Director's Cut
2003