Happy Friday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with a review/reaction to The Punisher: One Last Kill Special Presentation. This special has an uneven distribution of action and character exploration/backstory, but this imbalance works for The Punisher: One Last Kill. In short, it’s a bloody good time.
I really liked how Jon Bernthal loses himself as Frank Castle. He pulls off a tortured marine well. His ex-platoon members haunt him. The cinematography drives home the claustrophobic nature of these ghosts. Frank can’t escape his former partners or the family he failed to protect. The Punisher has a clear goal (end the crime family that destroyed his family), and at the beginning of The Punisher: One Last Kill, he’s accomplished that goal. No wonder he’s ready to say his final goodbyes while visiting his daughter’s grave. But Frank Castle hasn’t completed his goal. One member of the Gnucci remains. Ma Gnucci.
I love Judith Light’s portrayal of Ma Gnucci. The character makes sense for The Punisher: One Last Kill, and one of Ma Gnucci’s chief storylines echoes a storyline from Daredevil: Born Again. Ma Gnucci creates an Anti-Vigilante Task Force. The Punisher: One Last Kill reworks this into a bunch of goons trying to kill The Punisher on Ma Gnucci’s behalf. That’s a good interpretation. I also like how succinctly The Punisher: One Last Kill introduces Ma Gnucci. Kudos all around.
And getting back to Frank Castle, I liked how disorienting his portrayal of post-traumatic stress was and how he couldn’t tell who was real. He’s not okay. He’ll live with the ghosts of his past. The Punisher: One Last Kill managed to address PTSD well, while still remaining true to the MCU. Not an easy task. It took an appearance by Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) to slap a little sense into the protagonist. Because of Castle’s mental state, I’m still unsure if we actually saw the real Karen Page. Actually, I’m almost eighty-five percent sure Karen’s appearance was in Frank’s head. He could be recalling a previous exchange with Karen, and The Punisher: One Last Kill found the perfect time to pivot toward action.
At first, I thought about taking The Punisher: One Last Kill to task for presenting an uneven story. All psychological drama upfront; a lot of gory action on the backend. But like I said, it works. In the beginning, Frank’s interior sucked all the oxygen out of the room. Just as it enters the realm of too much self-loathing, The Punisher: One Last Kill introduces Ma Gnucci, and we get reprieve from Frank’s inner thoughts. Again, great job setting up Ma Gnucci. Shortly after Gnucci threatens Frank, Karen Page appears, attempting to get through to Frank, and that’s when Ma Gnucci’s goons attack everyone in the neighborhood. Good pacing.
What comes next are a mixed bag of action sequences. There are some hokey visual effects (Castle falling on an air conditioning unit), but the majority of the action is well done and represents some of the better actions sequences in recent MCU history. I especially liked The Punisher taking down a heavily tattooed muscle man with a ballpoint pen. Nice!
The Punisher: One Last Kill offers up as much blood and gore as any Deadpool movie or Logan, and this is in the span of twenty minutes. Wow! Just wow! While several may view this as “overkill”–get it?–these action sequences serve as Frank Castle working through his demons. They feature plenty of character moments, not the least of which is when Frank watches Ma Gnucci make her escape. Frank has the option to hunt her and claim his “last kill” of the Gnucci family, but he doesn’t. Those same goons Gnucci hired to attack Frank Castle cause havoc in The Punisher’s home streets.
After subsequent viewings, I love The Punisher: One Last Kill’s symmetry. In the opening moments, we see the city as its own character, performing its daily routine. Frank seldom interacts with his neighbors. Toward the end, Frank engages. He aids a family not too unlike the one he lost. During the special’s closing moments, he helps a former Marine fight back against a bully. Frank Castle has found a connection with humanity. He’s found purpose. Is it a little spelled out for the viewer? Sure. But it’s effective. The Punisher: One Last Kill offers plenty of blood. It unleashes The Punisher with rated R action. But it also gives Frank Castle his humanity. It gives him hope. It gives The Punisher a reason to live. And that’s beautiful. Bombastic, gory, beauty.
I always thought Jon Bernthal was a good choice as The Punisher, but his moments to shine in the role were spotty at best. The Punisher: One Last Kill showcases what Bernthal can do in the role. Those are my thoughts on The Punisher: One Last Kill. What are yours? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
jkgeekly.com 