The Punisher: One Last Kill Review: Frank Castle Shows More Guts Than Glory

It’s been some time since Marvel fans last saw Frank Castle in action. Previously, he took the reigns of Matt Murdock’s escape in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1. Now, it seems like all that Frank wants in The Punisher: One Last Kill is some peace of mind.

That’s literally what happens when Frank walks out of his empty apartment onto the chaotic streets of Little Sicily. So much chaos unravels around him, from people getting shot down to motorcycles zooming past. Yet, he remains unfazed, internally consumed by the PTSD of his past.

All of this essentially makes up the narrative foundation for The Punisher: One Last Kill. It’s a balancing act between being a character study of Frank Castle’s psychosis and an action-packed, no-holds-barred showcase. What results is a satisfying watch for fans that love the street-level side of the MCU.

Let’s start with the first half of the special, which is focused on the psychological state of Frank Castle following Daredevil: Born Again Season 1. Here, the visual presentation of Frank’s mental breakdown is very upfront with how it wants the viewer to perceive the antihero.

The sharp cuts of Frank’s military past instantly nail in the mental toil he’s placed on himself after going into hiding. It may feel a bit cliche to watch, but seeing characters from The Punisher, like Curtis, lay into Frank carries this unnerving tension. They’re constantly in his face, but only mentally.

It’s when Frank gets physical with himself and his surroundings that recaptures the pain he’s in. Bernthal does a good job highlighting Frank’s turmoil as he literally cuts his own arm and tears down the “conspiracy” wall he’s made.

This  also shows later, when the thoughts of Maria and Lisa, infect his mind at the cemetery. Although it feels like this moment has a bit of that unnerving comedic factor like another scene from The Punisher, you mostly feel sorry for him.

The way that Bernthal and director Reinaldo Marcus Green showcase this is satisfying thanks to the audiovisual reinforcement. As much as it is reinforcing what fans already knew from the other Marvel shows, this focused take really puts you into Frank’s headspace. This shows that Frank’s as much of a human as he is a fighter.

Beyond the first half of the special, The Punisher: One Last Kill tries to transition between its two “genres” in quite a peculiar way. Through the introduction of Ma Gnucci, whose family was slain by Castle, the special tries to create this empathetic factor the viewer can try to understand.

Green does hook you in for a bit when Ma explains the pain she felt when her family was murdered. However, when she turns the other cheek, you may wonder if Ma was only here to lay the groundwork for a potential sequel series. She only gets so much time with Frank as the special has this need to get to the action.

When it gets to the action, everything really kicks off in the most bloody way possible. You can expect everything from an R-rated product, from bones breaking to blood spraying everywhere with bullets and sharp objects. Yet, that’s what most of the second half of this special is and it doesn’t let up.

However, Green tries to rectify this through three smaller elements. One involves a hardworking coffee shop family stuck in the savage cruelty of Little Sicily. The second is similar, that being a lower-class family living right across Frank’s apartment. The last is a homeless vet, who gets taken advantage of by some thugs who do the unthinkable.

The first two elements mentioned play into the “family man” side of Frank Castle carefully, not overstaying their welcome, but also softly building on that trait of Frank’s. Green utilizes these two things in order to make Frank more empathetic to understand as a calmer face. However, more time could’ve been spent showing that guardianship Frank indirectly offers.

It’s clear that Green wants to use the special as more of a deeper character study even though we have The Punisher. Yet, it also feels like this special is also meant to be a reset button in the same way that Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 was, albeit with more cohesive story ties.

All of this said, Green and Bernthal still put on a satisfying presentation of Frank Castle at his physical best. If all of the deep-cut stunts are what you’re looking for, then this special will certainly entertain you.

The Punisher: One Last Kill does a solid job bringing Frank Castle back to his roots, but it wants to dig deeper into the humanity of the character like the series did. It lays the foundation for a future sequel series where Frank battles Ma Gnucci a la The Penguin, but time will tell if that comes to fruition.

Stray Thoughts:

• I actually can’t believe they brought Karen Page as one of Frank’s hallucinations. I guess it just shows that there’s always a “Kastle” fan out there!
• The “One Last Kill” that the special promised felt more personal than driving the future narrative forward. However, you can’t say that it didn’t feel satisfying to watch that ending play out.

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The Punisher: One Last Kill is now streaming on Disney+.

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