Frank Castle has been a notoriously difficult character to crack, so to say that “The Punisher: One Last Kill” is one of the better depictions of Marvel’s most famous gun-toting vigilante isn’t saying much. Despite the rich history of the antihero who first appeared in a 1974 issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the Punisher is a fairly straightforward example of a wounded, emotionally scarred figure, whose violent rage can occasionally be on the side of good.
“The Punisher: One Last Kill” isn’t exactly the most nuanced material, and feels closer to an extended installment in the overall Marvel television project than a standalone, self-contained spinoff. Ironically, “The Punisher: One Last Kill” feels like a pilot, but might actually be a better denouement. It encapsulates the struggle at the center of Castle’s journey, and proves why Jon Bernthal has given the definitive onscreen version of the character.
The journey that “The Punisher: One Last Kill” had to the big screen is often more fascinating than the 51-minute special itself, which is mostly a build-up to a bravura action scene that encapsulates about half of its running time. Bernthal made his debut as the Punisher on the second season of Netflix’s “Daredevil” back in 2015, which was connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in name only.
The short-lived “The Punisher” series on Netflix delivered a dynamic, surprisingly complex first season that carved out a surprisingly rich world for Castle to operate in that addressed issues regarding the character’s relevance to the mental health crisis and the dangers of gun violence in contemporary America. The show’s second season suggested that there wasn’t much for Castle to do when he wasn’t on a direct vengeance mission, but the show never moved beyond that due to a change in Marvel’s strategy that prematurely ended the content on Netflix.
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The enduring popularity of Netflix’s Marvel shows, which offered the rare “adult” perspective in the MCU, led Disney+ to develop “Daredevil: Born Again,” a continuation of the Netflix series that offered a soft reboot with more direct ties to the MCU. The first season of “Daredevil: Born Again” was troubled by a now-infamous series of creative difficulties, including the firing of showrunners who tried to make a “case-of-the-week” legal drama that had little connection to the original Netflix version.
Among the bright spots of the first season was the return of Castle, who had always provided a fascinating counterbalance to Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock. While Murdock is so committed to his faith and fealty to the law that he won’t kill his most dangerous opponent, Castle believes that there is no room for half-measures in a merciless world.
Despite the strong chemistry between Cox and Bernthal, it was evident that there wasn’t much more to get from their relationship that wouldn’t fundamentally change the status quo, so a spinoff was commissioned to give the Punisher a solo venture. Bernthal has always had a hand in crafting the depiction of Castle, contributing much to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and “The Punisher: One Last Kill” at least finds new ways to visualize his self-torment. Castle is so haunted by memories of his past that he is unable to differentiate between ghosts and reality.
The hustle and bustle of New York City’s rowdy underworld has transformed into the wartime combat that he has tried to forget about, and the most painful imagery has become permanently etched in his mind. While the MCU television shows have not had a history of being particularly dynamic, “The Punisher: One Last Kill” was shot by the legendary, Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswitt. It’s a genuinely haunting work of visceral art, and does indicate how Castle’s skewed perspective has given him a fractured grasp on reality.
“The Punisher: One Last Kill” is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who previously directed Bernthal to one of his best performances ever in the acclaimed HBO miniseries “We Own This City” from “The Wire” creator David Simon. The writing on “The Punisher: One Last Kill” isn’t as sharp, as it can’t quite decide if it’s aiming to be a grim echo of current times or a heightened dive into Marvel sensationalism. The depiction of criminals feels simplistic in a way that nearly evokes “Death Wish,” even if Green tries to point out that the world is more complex than what Castle has perceived it to be.
Even though “The Punisher: One Last Kill” is set between the seasons of “Daredevil: Born Again,” in which Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has put the city under lockdown, it does present an interesting idea in its helplessness. Castle doesn’t want to be an instrument of revenge, but the inherent cruelty of the world has drawn him back down a dark path that he is helpless to resist. It’s a testament to Bernthal’s grasp of the character that Castle, despite having some cheer-worthy moments, never feels demonstrably heroic.
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It’s Bernthal’s performance that provides the most definitive reason to seek out “The Punisher: One Last Kill,” which is dramatically effective, even when pulling on familiar threads from his past. There have been three previous cinematic adaptations of “The Punisher,” all of which were bad in different ways because they couldn’t help but turn into gonzo feats of spectacle.
While the confined timeframe does mean that “The Punisher: One Last Kill” is predictable, it’s appropriately pitched as a horrific, nearly exploitation-level feat of mundane ultra-violence. In other words, it’s more indebted to the anti-hero character dramas of the ‘70s than the muscular action blockbusters of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
There’s nothing in “The Punisher: One Last Kill” to entice those who haven’t already been sold on both the character and Bernthal’s interpretation, but it’s a bare-knuckled, back-to-basics special that condenses the essence of the character into an entertaining feat of worldbuilding. The muted sentimentality is closer to the grounded authenticity of Green’s television work than the hackneyed superficiality of his films.
Yet “The Punisher: One Last Kill” also lacks the overcomplicated fanfare that has accompanied too many of Marvel’s recent projects. It’s a solid enough “Punisher” standalone story to justify a more substantial return, but it would also be a satisfying end note if the character were to fade into the background of Marvel’s next slate of projects.
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