“The Punisher: One Last Kill” is short, bloody, and essentially serves one purpose

Frank Castle got a well-deserved solo outing during Marvel’s Netflix era, introducing Jon Bernthal as the anti-hero in Daredevil first before a two-season series that ended in 2019. As a fan, I missed this take on The Punisher/Castle and was excited for his return in Season 1 of Daredevil: Born again. Driven by revenge and a kind of righteous rage, he is a tortured soul, and his precision in combat and carnage is why people watch. The Punisher: One Last Kill has every ounce of the brutal brutality — and tragic personal aspects — you’d want from Bernthal’s character, but the short story may not be enough if you want something with more narrative thrust.

Arriving Tuesday night Disney Plusthe 48-minute Marvel special starring Judith Light and Jason R. Moore, who reprises his role as Curtis Howell. This isn’t a movie, just an interlude to explain what Punisher has been up to since the end of Born Again’s first season. It begins with Frank working out in a dimly lit apartment, where there is a murder pad with a strategically placed red X-life. I think he was busy pursuing his own goals, which, coincidentally, sets off the chain of violence that plagues Little Sicily, where the story takes place. No one is safe here. Nobody and nothing.

Hearing Frank recite Marine Corps Reconnaissance Doctrine 5 minutes into the show suggests that this is about to get serious. Haunted by ghosts from his past, Frank faces psychological challenges that justify the crisis hotline’s on-screen message of support to the audience. This unfolds during the first 20 minutes before being thrown into a bowl John Wick 3 Scenario with a free-for-all bounty on his head. Then the bloody work begins and ends.

Make no mistake, this Punisher/Frank is suffering and conflicted. Viewers walk with him on this personal journey that takes him out of his dark room and out of his mental discomfort. Bernthal’s performance remains as daring as ever, exposing Frank’s emotional vulnerability, and giving his softer side a chance to shine as he delivers ferocious sequences of him taking on the antagonists.

I’ve said before that it’s a Enjoy watching Frank Castle beat people up. Brave, senseless instantaneous destruction is his trademark, and it’s as entertaining to watch as any Jason Statham film, or fictional killers like the aforementioned Wick, Power’s Tommy Egan, or Klaus Mikaelson (IYKYK). This is what most fans sign up for when watching Marvel’s Punisher on TV – or in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

It’s great to catch up with Frank this way in Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again, and before we see him with Spidey; That’s what this episode seems to be aiming to do. The intensity of the raw action and violence in The Punisher: One Last Kill is great, and by the end, we’re reminded exactly who the Punisher is, but the story leaves one wanting more.

The special will premiere tonight on Disney Plus at 6pm PT/9pm ET.