The Punisher: One Last Kill Review

 

It's no big deal but man does it feel weird posting on a Wednesday. Having said that, let's get into some Punisher.

The Punisher: One Last Kill is a TV special based on the Marvel Comics' character The Punisher. It's not only part of Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but the franchise's third "Special Presentation" after the previous ones being Werewolf by Night & The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It's produced by Marvel Television and was distributed on Disney+. Reinaldo Marcus Green directed the special and wrote the screenplay along with Jon Bernthal.

The story is, Frank Castle has killed the last group of people who were involved in the killing of his family. Now he's trying to find a life without the Punisher. But when someone with their own personal vendetta has arrives and tell Frank they've placed a bounty on his head, Frank must once again reach deep inside himself and become the Punisher once again.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

The only aspect that was a mixed bag was the writing. Now seeing Frank struggling with personal demons such as seeing hallucinations of his dead family and even thinking about suicide were actually interesting to watch. Seeing a hero (or anti-hero in this case) at a low point and rise again will also be fun to watch especially if done right. Although at the same time when the special was finally over I couldn't help but feel like this was a pilot or a proof of concept for maybe a movie. The reason for that feeling is because the villain of this special survives/escapes thus she cause more trouble later on. I get what they were going for. Frank choosing protective vigilante over pure vengeance. Sure it avoids a neatly everything's wrapped up, but like I said previously it also felt like it's building towards something bigger. Whether that was Green and Bernthal's intentions I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see.

• Positives

One positive is the pacing. Now the special isn't long to begin with. It only clocks in at 44 minutes. But those 44 minutes go by pretty nicely while giving us plenty of entertainment.

Then we have Jon Bernthal's performance. If you've been watching Bernthal's Punisher since Season 2 of Daredevil, or Bernthal's work on things such as The Walking Dead, Fury, both Accountant movies, etc. Then you know how talented he is. But the guy still should be praised for his work. He's so at showing both the vulnerable and intense side of the Punisher. He had this great moment at the gravesite of Frank's family and it's such a great moment, and it was made great thanks in part to Bernthal's acting.

My last praise goes to the action. It doesn't come until the last moments but holy shit is it awesome. Once Frank goes full Punisher mode it's a no holds barred experience. Guys are getting shot, sliced opened, and stabbed left and right. We're giving some pretty graphic kills. If you like brutal action and violence, then this special has you covered.

While I did have a slight issue with the story, I still found Punisher: One Last Kill to be worth watching.

My final rating is, Good.

That's gonna do it for now. Come back tomorrow, May 14th, for my review of season three of The Mandalorian. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.