Not the TV special this vigilante deserves.
Jon Bernthal reprises his Marvel role as Frank Castle A.K.A The Punisher in the Disney+ MCU special “The Punisher: One Last Kill” and in the upcoming sequel “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” And these are probably parts of the reason why we didn’t see him in the second season of “Daredevil: Born Again.” But I don’t think this special really justifies him with all the wall-to-wall violence and thin character development.
In this special, Frank is dealing with grief regarding his murdered family, while he’s living in the middle of the crime-stricken city Little Sicily. People are acting crazy in the streets like they’re in another “Joker” movie, and that means that violent thugs can steal a homeless vet’s (John Robert Thompson) dog and throw him towards an ongoing truck and people can murder and attack innocent people. He ends up being visited by a paralyzed old woman (Judith Light), who is the matriarch of the Gnucci Crime Family and wants revenge on him for killing her family who were responsible for his family’s murder. “You didn’t finish anything. I’m the one who’s doing the punishing,” she says.
With a bounty now on his head, Frank goes back to his violent ways. There are CGI effects, people thrown off of buildings, and lots of stabbing and shootings, as if this special was like a video game. And Frank knows how to handle the bad guys.
“The Punisher: One Last Kill” was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and co-written by him and Bernthal. These two write the title vigilante with sincere emotions as he deals with the loss of his family while reverting to his vigilantism. It’s practically half the reason to watch this special, while the other half is cynical and bombastic with all the blood and gore that emerges within. It feels kind of mean-spirited and there’s no depth in anyone. Only Frank gets to deal with his grief, while minor characters are given less to do and the villainous doesn’t get the insights she needs.
Fans may appreciate Deborah Ann Woll reprising her role as Karen Page, but she was better handled on “Daredevil: Born Again” than she is here. And by the time he puts on his Punisher costume on, the special is two minutes to the end credits. And being that this is a Disney+ special that’s about less than 50 minutes, there really isn’t much to say about it. It has potential and the right leading actor, but the wrong script. So, I’m the one who is also doing the punishing here.
Now Streaming on Disney+
