Does “The Punisher: One Last Kill” do the iconic character justice?

The Punisher: One Last Kill finally made it to Disney+. Disney hasn’t had many hits in the last few years. I don’t doubt they are hurting for it, and it’s easy to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is in decline.

One of the more interesting properties that the MCU has hardly acknowledged is the Punisher. Netflix created two seasons of a show for the character, and he also had a cameo in Daredevil Born Again, but One Last Kill is his true MCU debut.

The Punisher: One Last Kill a one-off, 48-minute-long special.

Jon Bernthal – who also co-wrote the script – dominates as the Punisher, a man who sits on an uneasy edge. Bernthal fills the character with rage that’s barely contained. When he lets loose, it’s brutal violence.

A lot of Punisher fans love Bernthal’s portrayal of the character, and I’m amongst them. All of the parts are good, but they just don’t combine all that well.

The special is split into two distinct parts.

Part 1 – Character study

Part 1 shows Frank Castle – Punisher – struggling with depression and PTSD. He’s having hallucinations, committing self-harm, and doing what Marines do: drinking and taking Motrin. He’s a man torn, without a family, friends, nor mission.

We follow Frank through his life for a short period, going about his day with chaos reigning around him. Ever since Frank killed the Gnucci crime family, Little Italy has descended into near chaos due to the resulting power vacuum.

As far as I can tell, this is the first time we’ve ever seen the aftermath of what the Punisher does on screen. It reinforces that Frank isn’t a hero. What he does isn’t necessarily good, regardless of how bad the criminals deserve it.

Part 1 concludes with Frank putting a gun to his head and contemplating suicide until a hallucination of his daughter makes him put the gun down.

Part 2 – The violence

Jon Bernthal as Punisher. (Disney)

As Frank returns to his apartment, he’s confronted by a wheelchair-bound woman, Ma Gnucci, the last of the Gnuccis. She tells him there’s a bounty on his head. From then on, we get a cascade of violence. Serious, R-rated, blood-and-guts violence.

Starting with just a Ka-Bar, Frank chews through bad guys. Picking up and discarding weapons left and right. He goes between a knife, various guns, bats, and whatever else he can get his hands on. He’s a beast as he chews through the thugs coming after him, seemingly mowing down dozens of them.

The special draws inspiration from movies like The Raid and John Wick to create intense and brutal action. It’s an R-rated take I didn’t expect from Disney.

Related: ‘Extraction 2’ is a really fun and action-packed movie

What works and what doesn’t

Jon Bernthal and One Last Kill try their hardest to capture the Punisher in full. He’s a broken man, haunted by war and tragedy. At the same time, he’s a hyper-violent vigilante who punishes the guilty.

The problem with One Last Kill is that the transition between broken man and hyper-violent vigilante is very sudden and jarring. The audience never gets time to absorb Frank’s struggle before diving headfirst into a bit of the old ultra-violence.

The two sections of the special feel divided and like CliffsNotes of a better movie. In fact, this should have been a proper two-hour movie. Hell, we don’t even see the iconic skull until the last few minutes of the special.

I have some other gripes. The sound mixing is a mess: some of the dialogue is nearly impossible to hear, and then in the next scene, your speakers are being blown out by action, screams, and yelling. And other times, the dialogue sounds perfectly fine.

However, without a doubt, the cast is fantastic and does a great job. Judith Light plays a cruel and capable Ma Gnucci. Andre Royo plays the everyday man who runs a coffee shop, but crosses paths with the Punisher in a more positive way.

The violence and action are well done. The editing feels a little jarring, but seeing Frank flow through bad guys with whatever weapon he gets his hands on is satisfying.

Three real special operations veterans make cameos in the special: Marine Raiders Nick Koumalatsos and Cody Alford, and Green Beret Colton Hill. Cody Alford plays an especially violent thug that Frank gets to deal with. These vets were brought in by Bernthal and acted as technical advisers.

Overall, the special is enjoyable, especially if you’re a fan of the character.

Feature Image: Jon Bernthal as Punisher (Disney)

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