The Punisher: One Last Kill
WARNING: EXCESSIVE GORE, OFF-SCREEN DEATH OF A DOG, AND VIOLENCE/BRUTALITY IS SHOWN. NOT MEANT FOR CHILDREN/YOUNG FANS!
The Punisher: One Last Kill is an intense watch. Yes, it is entertaining but there is also a harsher reality the writers/directors dive into. Unlike Deadpool, where Wade attempts to ease the audiences despite the grim/brutal world building he has to navigate around, Frank on the other hand has to live with the survivor’s guilt hitting him after losing his fellow soldiers and family to violence/brutality. The writers, including Bernthal were able to showcase that fear, guilt, and shame to the point where Castle, unable to live with himself, attempts to commit suicide. The screams of his family was haunting and you could see Castle fighting between fighting to live to fight for the people that can’t defend themselves and killing himself so he can escape the pain he goes through by simply living.
They give us no clean answers and we are forced into this journey with him, where we see him finding the purpose to fight again. It’s chilling and at times stomach churning, however I love how we get to see a darker, more inhumane world where the writers can reveal the worst humanity has to offer (no influencers and no social media) just people simply acting on the worst parts of themselves. The moment where we see Frank walking around New York while the neighborhood killing/beating each other to a pulp, I got goosebumps. To see this antihero attempt to live a decently normal life while everything else falls apart around him is haunting to see and made me gasp a couple times. It can be hard to see but is necessary to see since its part of the world we’re in. The cinematographers did a great job of showing all of the chaos descending as Frank walks and the screams are equally important to hear who we get a sense of the horror the victims/witnesses bear as the violence/brutality takes place in there home and knowing they can’t escape it is hard.
The score also plays a huge part in the success of this special. While the acting and Frank seeing the ghosts of his friends/family is a chilling sight, I also give props to the score because they were able to build up the intensity of the scene. The score has to match the energy/vibe the scene is giving and we’re able to get invested in the scene in order to fully grasp how we’re supposed to feel. My favorite score moment is when Frank’s apartment is on fire and he has to choose whether or not to let it consume him, we also hear the screams of “daddy” coming from the other apartment, along with his family trying to call out for him. There’s a quiet but meaningful moment where Frank finds enough strength to fight for himself and other families. It’s brutal but powerful as he escapes in that moment and fights to save his neighbors, along with the baker’s family and prevent another child in losing there parents too soon. It’s bittersweet as while this family is safe but sad that Frank couldn’t save his own family and prevents the same thing from happening. He stops the chain and its honestly amazing to see an antihero swallow his pride to finishing off the Gnucci mother and stop the criminals. It’s a small but powerful moment of how despite wanting his revenge, he’s able to give the message of I’m still alive and will be while also saying he will protect the citizens of New York. Honestly, love the stare down he gives to Ma Gnucci.
The action is intense as there is a lot of blood in this special, however it is packed and we see how much work/time went into making this production. However, the least favorite scene is when a homeless man’s dog is taken and thrown by a truck by a criminal. It shows the lack of humanity in people in how far there willing to go in showing off there “power”. It’s devastating as he can’t do much to stop them but only watch and cry. My stomach churned seeing this and heart broke as I am a dog mom and I couldn’t imagine what I would do if someone did that to me. Despite this being a fictional New York, unfortunately there have been crimes committed against the homeless and the directors were able to showcase that in the most brutal way they could and it is haunting. Having someone kick and punch them because they can and take there possessions away as if they don’t have value and it broke my heart. However, there is justice because Castle is able to help the guy not only get his hat back, but also justice for his dog by killing him. While I don’t like when people are killed in media, this was something that I know you will appreciate as the justice for this man was necessary.
Overall, this is an intense Marvel special that I recommend watching as adults, not for kids though!