TV Review: 'The Punisher: One Last Kill' – One of the Least Enigmatic Marvel Characters Returns

 

I was very excited when I learned that Jon Bernthal would be returning to play Frank Castle/the Punisher in a special presentation on Disney+. The title of the event toys with us – The Punisher: One Last Kill – making it seem as if this will be Frank's swan song. To any of the character's detractors, don't get your hopes up. 

Bernthal brought this character to life in the Netflix series Daredevil and two seasons of the The Punisher. Bernthal nailed the character to the wall and splattered it with blood, grit, and heart. He embodies the spirit of the character so convincingly – every nuance of pain and suffering is etched on his face and the way he walks and moves. In this way Frank/The Punisher is the least enigmatic Marvel anti-hero. We know exactly what drives him; there is no mystery as to why he does what he does. He is avenging his family's deaths, and it's a very simple equation. 

Frank haunted by ghosts from the past

Bernthal co-wrote this special with director Reinaldo Marcus Green, and it is evident in every one of its 51-minute run time. We see Frank down and almost out as he sits in a empty room and is haunted by ghosts from his past and the deaths of his wife and children. We may have thought we had seen this character at low points before, but here he is mired in the darkest depths of despair. 

His New York City neighborhood has become engulfed in gang violence that is so horrific that even the NYPD has backed out and lets things run amuck. Frank knows that his wiping out of the Gnucci crime family is partially to blame for the death and destruction happening in the streets, and his emotional cauldron has boiled over, and he has given up and is letting it continue to be out of control. 

The old vet and his dog

In the first few moments Green sets the tone by showing a sympathetic old man (John Douglas Thompson) and his little dog. The man wears a Marine Corp hat, so we know Frank would defend his brother. A moment later a gang of creeps attacks the man, and one of the gang members throws the dog under a city bus. If you're like me, you'll be screaming for The Punisher to come out and kick this guy's ass, but he is nowhere to be found. 

We see Frank visit the graves of his wife and kids where he leaves a key to a locker that contains all his weapons. He lets them know he is down and out – he is done! Frank then takes out a gun, puts it to his head, and prepares to end it all. How fitting all his enemies would find this result – Frank Castle dead by his own hand. Only a vision of his daughter stops him from pulling the trigger. 

A bloodied Ma Gnucci in flashback

As an exhausted Frank starts lumbering home, he is confronted by Ma Gnucci (a terrific Judith Light) who recounts how he wiped out her family, including her youngest son whom she loved the most right in front of her eyes. Frank seems stunned to hear her account; it's a rarity for him because his victims have always been on the wrong side of the law and don't get much of a chance to tell him a story, but this makes it personal. 

So, this matriarch of the Gnucci family that Frank dispatched goes all John Wick on him. She has put a bounty on his head – every criminal and low life scum in the city will be out to get him. They say revenge is sweet, and old Ma Gnucci is licking her chops as she drives away in the back of her limousine. It's time for Frank to go back to the cemetery and get that key, but he has no time. He starts to get attacked almost immediately.

While the rest is spoiler material, I can let you know what follows is the bloodiest charnel that is more intense than any other episode featuring Frank/The Punisher before. It is brutal, nonstop blood and guts the rest of the way. If you like this sort of thing, you will not be disappointed. 

Frank is back!

The last thing I will leave you with is that this special episode makes everything personal. It also gives fans just what they want from the character, who despite the violence associated with him has found a way to endear himself to the audience. The last scene will not only solidify this fact but have you wanting more. 

Please check out the trailer below: