Rob Reviews – The Punisher: One Last Kill

The Sisyphus of Hell’s Kitchen

From the trailer, it looked like One Last Kill (OLK) was going to be about Frank Castle, once again, trying to lead a simple life—only to find himself dragged back into his one-man war on crime. It brings to mind that famous Al Pacino line from The Godfather Part III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

Clocking in between 45 and 60 minutes, this special follows the “Special Presentation” format of Werewolf by Night. However, I think OLK is going to have much further-reaching consequences. It clearly aims to bridge the gap between Daredevil: Born Again and Castle’s upcoming appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

The Punisher is a lot like Sisyphus from Greek mythology. Castle’s war on crime is never-ending; much like the task of pushing the boulder up the hill, Frank will never truly eradicate crime. Even if he kills one bad guy, another rises to fill the void. He uses his anger and grief as fuel, and like Sisyphus, he returns to the task over and over again. Unless you view him through this lens, he can feel like a flat character. He reminds me of Batman in that regard, but his one-dimensionality makes it hard to justify the sheer volume of content Marvel threw at him in the 90s.

Beat-by-Beat Notes

• The Opening: A very retro “Marvel Special Presentation” bumper leads into Danzig’s “Mother.” We see a bearded Frank Castle doing what looks like incredibly painful pull-ups. His hands are bleeding, he’s groaning, and eventually, he pukes. He’s popping pills and downing hard liquor—a “great” combination. He punches a mirror and rips photos off a wall covered in red X’s. Is this his “hit wall”? Is he trying to be “Born Again” in his own right?

• Little Sicily: The neighborhood is an absolute cesspool. Apparently, the Gnucci family once kept a sense of “organized” order here, but that’s gone. We see street thugs kill an old man’s dog—never a good move in a revenge story.

• The Mental Toll: Frank is back in his empty apartment dealing with heavy PTSD. He’s even trying to cross out his Marine tattoo. He hallucinates a conversation with his friend Curtis; he knows he needs help.

• The Gnucci Connection: We learn Frank killed the Gnucci family, and Little Sicily has gone to hell because of the power vacuum. While visiting the graves of his wife and children, he tells them “there is nothing left to do” and puts a gun to his head. He’s hallucinating his daughter in the cemetery.

• The Bounty: An unrecognizable Judith Light is playing Ma Gnucci. In a sequence that blurs the line between reality and hallucination, she tells Frank she’s all alone now, just like him. She narrates the death of her family and reveals she’s put a price on Frank’s head. Every crook in town is coming for him at 6:47 PM.

• The Siege: Karen Page appears—this is definitely in his head. “Karen” tells him he still has more to do. Suddenly, someone throws lighter fluid into his apartment. Frank goes through the door with his feet literally on fire, taking on a dozen guys.

• The Action: Little Sicily looks like something out of The Purge. Frank is mowing guys down like it’s a video game. He takes some impossible bumps—off scaffolding, bouncing off a bus—there’s no way a normal human survives that, but Frank isn’t normal.

• The Resolution: Frank helps out a veteran who owns a donut shop (the guy from the beginning). His wife, Dre, and daughter, Charli, are okay. Charli hands Frank a cardboard rose—she seems to be the one to pull him back to reality.

• The Ending: Frank takes the rose to his daughter’s grave. We see a happy couple (the veteran and his wife) about to be jumped by a punk with a bat. Frank appears in full Punisher gear and puts the punk down for killing the veteran’s dog. A total John Wick moment.

Final Thoughts

I’m a little torn on this one. I’m not sure 50 minutes was long enough; it felt like it could have been a standard TV episode. I would have liked more resolution with Ma Gnucci, unless they are saving that for his appearance in Spider-Man.

Notably, Jon Bernthal’s real-life daughter, Adeline, plays Lisa Castle here. It explains why Frank’s hallucinations focused so heavily on his daughter this time around.

Ultimately, this was “mission accomplished.” It serves as a “one-shot” to remind fans that Frank is alive and well in his corner of the MCU. It’s easily the bloodiest hour in the “Defenders-verse” so far, giving off heavy Logan vibes. Definitely keep the young’uns away from this one; it’s not for the squeamish.

Rating: 4/5 Skulls 💀💀💀💀

Punisher: one last kill is streaming on Disney+

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