The Punisher: One Last Kill - Review 

Rating: 3 out of 5

JON Bernthal’s latest stab at playing The Punisher (aka Frank Castle) has to rate as something of a disappointment.

It’s as angry and violent as fans should rightly expect, and it offers a sometimes probing insight into the character’s tormented psychology (also a given).

But where the recent Daredevil: Born Again series managed to combine moments of well orchestrated action with some strong character work and plenty of moral and ethical dilemmas, The Punisher: One Last Kill opts for a more whirlwind approach.

It’s quite simply too short to do the character justice.

Early on, we see him mentally spiralling in his apartment, haunted by the ghosts of former fallen colleagues and - more pertinently - his wife and daughter (played by Bernthal’s real-life kid). It’s a highly stylised sequence that feels raw, intense and really allows Bernthal to take a deep dive into his anger and despair.

As ever, Bernthal fully inhabits the part: both mentally and physically.

But no sooner has Castle paid a tearful, near suicidal visit to his family’s graves, then he’s plunged back into action when crime family matriarch Ma Gnucci pays him a visit to vow revenge for the killing of her own family members at Frank’s hands.

There is a bounty on his head, so every criminal is attempting to hunt him down at once.

What follows is a one-shot style action sequence that draws heavily from the likes of The Raid and John Wick, with Castle having to battle his way out of a building, before taking on all-comers in the street and then coming to the rescue of some of the community members he has come to embrace (including the young daughter of the local grocery store).

Fans, thus far, appear to have lapped the ensuing carnage up and there’s no denying that some of the action sequences and fights are impressive.

Reinaldo Marcus Green directs with a ferocious energy that sees Frank slay his pursuers with all manner of weapons - from guns to knives to axes, or merely throwing them from a rooftop.

Admittedly, there is a computer game element to some shots (including the now notorious building drop from Castle himself), but there is genuine ingenuity in others that would sit comfortably in any of the films that Green is referencing.

The disappointment stems more from the brevity of proceedings and the rushed nature of the storytelling. It doesn’t really tell us any more about Castle that we don’t already know, or fill in many of the gaps that explains Castle’s absence from season two of Daredevil or how he will fit in to the forthcoming Spiderman: Brand New Day (where, presumably, he’ll appear a lot more child-friendly).

There’s also a fine line between violent and gratuitous, which the film sometimes falls foul of during its later kills. Again, we get that The Punisher is a violent man, but some shots linger a little too long.

Bernthal emerges unscathed, of course, given that his passion for the role is evident for all to see. He gives it his all.

And given how much is left unresolved, let alone set up, it’s encouraging to think that he might yet get another go at something more substantial somewhere down the line. Marvel must now realise how popular the character remains.

It’s just a shame that One Last Kill couldn’t have emulated something more special, like Logan. That could really have delivered something special.

Certificate: 18

Running time: 50mins