As the second season of Daredevil: Born Again comes to a close, Disney+ has released a one-shot special, The Punisher: One Last Kill. The special is co-written by Jon Bernthal, who reprises his role as Frank Castle, alongside co-writer and director Reinaldo Marcus Green. Having last seen Frank Castle in the first season of Daredevil: Born Again and we have seen him in trailers for the upcoming Spider-Man movie, it is clear he remains essential to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This special interweaves itself seamlessly into the chaotic, borderline-dystopian world of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 (though, to be honest, it’s not that far off from what we see in the news sans superpowered vigilantes).
In this 51-minute special, we see Frank Castle struggling under the weight of his post-traumatic stress disorder. Having killed all the criminal families responsible for the death of his wife and children, Castle is left aimless and without purpose. He hides out in New York’s Little Sicily, which has turned into a chaotic battleground; without the mobsters running the streets, gangs roam free and attack without consequence. Castle contemplates suicide until he is confronted by Ma Gnucci (a spectacular Judith Light), the last surviving member of the Gnucci family, one of those families Frank was taking revenge on. Having tracked him down, she puts a bounty on his head and exposes his location. From there, the episode turns from a quiet, dramatic exploration of one man’s trauma and its effects into a no-holds barred, violent bloodbath with explosive action sequences and a grim renewal of Frank Castle’s sense of purpose.
The first twenty minutes are all atmosphere and mood, we really get into the mind of Frank Castle. Bernthal is so good at creating vulnerability from an otherwise terrifying very powerful man. As an intensely physical actor, he expresses the full spectrum of character’s interiority through hi body language. Seeing that he co-wrote the script, he is able to show off restraint with the dialogue, clearly knowing exactly which parts he could show through body language and his eyes. It is a riveting performance that reaffirms why Bernthal is such an excellent choice for the character.
Taking off from Daredevil: Born Again, this special puts a spotlight on lawlessness, serving as a bleak commentary on how our civilization seems to be crumbling down. Unrestrained violence and a brazen capacity to do harm take center stage here, yet The Punisher: One Last Kill also shows us how hope still flourishes even in the most violent of storms.
The special starts off slow, a good twenty minutes is there to set up the world and establishing Frank’s unwillingness to engage with it. His mission is done, his hope is depleted, and the narrative can occasionally get dragging. However, Bernthal remains such a compelling presence that he makes it bearable but you can also see that this is just a set up for an explosive final thirty minutes. What follows is a bloodbath that moves from one unit in an apartment complex down into the streets. It’s bloody, brutal, gory and relentless.
Ultimately, the special serves up the dual halves of Frank Castle’s psyche, as a character, and shows us how he continues to move on in the MCU. It will be interesting to see how this character would appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a film bound to have a more family-friendly rating. What is most important, however, is that Frank Castle is officially back as The Punisher, and One Last Kill is a great special to bring him back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
An absolute must-watch for MCU fans looking for real grit. Stream The Punisher: One Last Kill is now on Disney+.
