A non-stop bloody and brutal day in the life, The Punisher One Last kills delivers what Punisher fans love to see while teasing what Frank Castle is up to next.
The Punisher One Last Kill Review
Punisher has always been one of the rawest, vicious, and most tragic characters in Marvel canon. That can be hard to translate to screen but Jon Bernthal has proven from day one he understood the assignment and more importantly, Frank himself. When Punisher made his MCU debut in Daredevil Born Again Season 1 fans were clamoring for more. Season 2 debuted and Frank Castle was just a mention despite brutally and efficiently taking out a bunch of task force agents on his way out the door. One Last Kill answers the question: where is Frank Castle? But it asks a more important one: what do you do once the war is over?
The Punisher One Last Kill is a non-stop bloody and brutal look at a day(s) in the life of Frank Castle. It’s an intimate character study that never forgets who it is about. I know I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Frank put belt to *ss as he carves a bloody path to his new purpose. It delivers what fans of the character love to see: a dark, gritty, and ruthless Punisher doing what he does best. The only issue I had, and it’s an obvious one, One Last Kill is depressingly short.
Taking place at some point during the events of Born Again Season 2, One Last Kill occurs over two days. Frank (Bernthal) has escaped from the prison Fisk put him in and has finally slaughtered all the people involved in the murder of his family. The last ones on his hit list were members of the Gnucci Crime Family. Unsure what to do next, Frank struggles with his inner demons, but he is soon forced back into the violent world he is thinking of escaping. One, his actions have left a power vacuum in the criminal underworld, causing an increase in crime. Two, the surviving member of the Gnuccis, Ma Gnucci (Judith Light) has come to seek revenge. Placing a bounty on his life, Frank must pick up his weapons again in order to survive to see another day.
As I mentioned above, Bernthal knows Frank Castle so much that he reminds me of Tom Hiddleston who gave “Loki Lessons” on the set of Loki. These actors don’t just play these characters, they are them when the cameras are rolling. Allowing Bernthal to take over behind the camera, co-writing alongside director Reinaldo Marcus Green was one of the best decisions the team at Marvel Studios could make. As Frank hits a major crossroads in his life, he really struggles with what’s next. What more does he have to live for? After all, if your life is fueled by revenge, what happens when you get it? Bernthal dives into this turmoil with a performance that somehow elevates everything he has done before with Castle, which is saying a lot.
He’s confronted by ghosts from his past and present as his mental state continues to deteriorate. From his wife (Kelli Barrett) to fellow veteran and friend Curtis (Jason R. Moore) and naturally, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Frank is confronted by those who care about him as he tries to figure out how to redeem himself and what to do now. It also is a subtle way of proving that Frank isn’t as alone as he feels, yes some of those figures are dead but Karen and others are very much alive and are willing to be there for him.
Tears and anguish aside, there is plenty of gore and fun kills to be had throughout the breezy 51 minutes. Punisher going absolutely mental on his would-be assassins, moments that will make you say holy sh*t, and carnage that would make John Wick go yeah. Because yeah, One Last Kill takes full advantage of that TV-MA rating for a full-on bloodfest. There is one kill in particular that was extremely satisfying and you will know who I mean as soon as you watch it.
Verdict
The Punisher One Last Kill is a gory, emotional, ride that we all wish were longer. Bernthal once again delivers an outstanding performance but I also need to mention Light who turns in a chilling one herself as the main antagonist. One Last Kill is laying the foundation for Frank Castle’s MCU future. It’s a blood-soaked bridge that will lead him into Spider-Man Brand New Day where he will likely face-off with Spidey before ultimately working with the kid to keep the streets safe. Yes I have a theory that BND follows the Neogenic Nightmare storyline, but I digress. The Special Presentation is as many of us expected but it also shows how Frank can take a new, albeit still violent, path as he moves forward in the MCU.
The Punisher One Last Kill is now streaming on Disney+.
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