My quick rating – 8.3/10. I have thoroughly enjoyed both seasons of The Punisher on Netflix (now on Disney+), but I am also a huge fan, going all the way back to the comic books and every cinematic attempt to bring Frank Castle to life. Didn’t matter if it was Dolph Lundgren or Thomas Jane taking a crack at the role, I was there for it. So when The Punisher: One Last Kill rolled around as a one-shot TV special starring Jon Bernthal, this thing was basically custom-made for me. His occasional appearances in Daredevil have been entertaining enough, but eventually, there comes a time to stop politely visiting somebody else’s show and let Frank Castle start breaking furniture in his own house again.

The Punisher: One Last Kill follows Frank Castle, a PTSD-ridden veteran trying to survive after his mission is over, only to be dragged back into chaos when wheelchair-bound crime matriarch Ma Gnucci wants revenge after Frank killed her son. If that setup sounds unhinged, congratulations, you understand Punisher comics. And yes, Ma Gnucci popping up instantly made the comic nerd in me grin because she is exactly the kind of wonderfully over-the-top character that belongs in Frank Castle’s miserable orbit. Judith Light plays her with enough menace and weird charm that you can see Who’s the Boss.

The special wastes absolutely no time setting the tone. The second Mother by Danzig kicks in, you know Disney forgot where it parked the family-friendly filter. The opening scene on the streets of New York throws us right into Frank dealing with some thugs who, without getting into specifics, definitely picked the wrong city block to act stupid in. And seriously, Frank Castle handing out consequences feels like comfort food at this point.

But One Last Kill also leans hard into Frank’s fractured mental state. He can be seen spiraling, going to his dead wife’s grave, confronting horrific dreams and flashbacks that drive him towards the abyss. It is quite clear that this film revolves around trauma and mental instability, and it actually lands emotionally instead of just using sadness as wallpaper between gunshots. Even Deborah Ann Woll returns briefly as Karen Page, offering Frank motivation in a way that longtime fans will appreciate.

Then comes the action, and wow, this thing remembers exactly what franchise it belongs to. The violence is brutal, hard-hitting, and hilariously not what you expect from Disney. After the initial barrage of beatings, Hatebreed kicks in, and suddenly Frank goes from “sad man with trauma” to “walking natural disaster.” Somewhere in the middle of all this mayhem, Frank even finds time to save an innocent family caught in the crossfire because, beneath all the rage and tactical skull imagery, there is still humanity buried in there.

More than anything, this 48-minute special felt like a reintroduction to the Punisher. A reminder that Frank Castle works best when he is broken, brutal, but still clinging to some reason to keep moving forward. Bernthal absolutely crushes it here, delivering a raw performance that feels angry and hanging on by a thread.

Very enjoyable special that has me seriously pumped to see what Frank Castle might get up to when Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters at the end of July. Because if One Last Kill proves anything, it is that Frank Castle is very, very bad at retirement. My only complaint? I wish it were longer.

Disney+