The Punisher (1989 score)

The Punisher, also known as The Punisher Original Motion Picture Score is the score to the 1989 film of the same name. The album was composed, orchestrated and conducted by Dennis Dreith. It was released on July 19, 2005 on CD, it also features a 23 minutes interview with composer Dreith and the director Mark Goldblatt. The interview focuses not only on the music itself but also much about the ill-fated circumstances which concerned the release of the original film.

Bonus
Including an interview with composer Dennis Dreith and director Mark Goldblatt.

Production
Harry Garfield also produced another song Vicious Mind, which is not included on the disc.

Release
Despite the film being from 1989 the score was not officially released before 2005. Dennis Dreith, the composer, has expressed relief that it has finally been released.

""Resurrecting the score from the original safety masters was most gratifying. It's really great to hear the score again after all these years in it's full glory, especially since the only copy previously available was the mono home video release. Now with the release of the CD, the score can finally be heard the way we intended it." [...] I owe a debt of gratitude to Robin Esterhammer and Perseverance Records for bringing this score back to life. Connecting again with Mark Goldblatt to do the audio interview on this collectors CD was a real added treat.""

Reception
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic expressed that the score is not a lost classic but that it is worth while for anyone who enjoys the movie and that it is nonetheless seen as superior to that of the 2004 film by most critcs.

""Dreith, like other composers for action movies before him, has the opportunity to write for a variety of moods, from calm, if ominous, cues like "Tanaka Meets Franco" to stirring martial passages such as those found in "Funhouse Shootout," and even to sneak in some chamber music ("Chopin"). The presence of a major Oriental character, Madame Tanaka, justifies the use of Japanese-sounding percussion, especially in the later parts of the score.""