The Punisher: One Last Kill
Directed by Jon Bernthal (uncredited co-direction)
Jon Bernthal, Krysten Ritter, Jason R. Moore
“Frank Castle tries to live without violence. Frank Castle does not live without violence. The Punisher: One Last Kill is exactly the special presentation Marvel knew it had to make to keep Bernthal interested.”
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The Review
The Punisher: One Last Kill is a Disney+ Marvel Special Presentation, which is the format Marvel has been using for properties that are too dark for the main MCU and too valuable to let sit on the shelf. Frank Castle has been one of the company's most consistently effective characters and Jon Bernthal one of the most consistently effective performers, so the existence of this thing was inevitable from the moment Daredevil Born Again brought him back.
The premise is the most Punisher premise possible. Frank has retired. Frank has tried to retire. The universe will not let Frank retire. An hour and forty minutes later, the body count is what it needs to be and the question of whether Frank can ever stop is the same question we started with. The special is honest about being a character study disguised as an action piece, which is unusual for Marvel programming this size.
Bernthal directs himself in long stretches and it shows in the best way. The action is choreographed for impact rather than spectacle. Krysten Ritter gets a real scene that lets her play opposite Frank as an actual peer, not a love interest. The thing the special does not do is push Frank's arc to a new place. He ends roughly where he started, which is either a thematic statement or a contractual obligation depending on how generous you want to be.
What It Nails
- +Jon Bernthal continues to be the only correct Punisher casting on Earth
- +Action choreography prioritizes impact and consequence over visual flash
- +Krysten Ritter's scenes are the most adult dialogue Marvel has aired in years
- +The grain and color grading commit to a tone the rest of the MCU avoids
What It Botches
- -Plot resolves Frank into the same place he started, which is either thematic or repetitive
- -New antagonist is underdeveloped beyond their function in the climax
- -Some sequences feel constrained by the budget in ways the broader MCU is not
- -Cameos from larger MCU figures feel obligatory rather than earned
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Who It's For
Punisher fans. Daredevil Born Again completists. Audiences who want their Marvel content to actually deal with consequences.
Who Should Skip
Viewers who need their superhero content lighter. Anyone who found the show too violent in 2017. Casual MCU watchers without context.
Marketing Roast
Disney is leaning entirely on Bernthal's face in marketing, which is the only honest pitch. The trailers do not pretend this is going to be uplifting, which is refreshing.
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