Frank Castle is back! Granted, it’s only for fifty glorious minutes — sob — but for fans of The Punisher, what a fifty minutes it is.
After numerous appearances in Daredevil and two excellent solo seasons, Jon Bernthal returns as the fan-favourite anti-hero in the third Marvel Cinematic Universe Special Presentation. Before a single bullet is fired, a warning appears onscreen:
“The following is intended only for mature audiences. Viewer discretion advised.”
And for those horrified by the shocking animal cruelty in the opening five minutes… well, the filmmakers did warn you.
When we reunite with Frank, he is once again haunted by ghosts — the trauma of his violent past and the brutal murder of his family still pushing him dangerously close to the edge. Bernthal carries the weight of Castle’s pain effortlessly, every ounce of grief etched across his battered face. Yes, we’ve seen this side of Frank before, and some viewers may sigh at revisiting familiar emotional ground, but thankfully the brisk runtime means the story never lingers too long in the darkness.
Still, longtime fans invested in Frank’s journey may find themselves unexpectedly emotional as Castle collapses beside his family’s gravestones, wanting nothing more than to join them.
Of course, fate has other ideas.
Enter Judith Light as Ma Gnucci, who announces her arrival by revealing she has hired every criminal in the city to hunt Frank down in revenge for the slaughter of her family — and the carnage is set to begin at precisely 6:47 PM.
A brief but welcome cameo from Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page clears the path for the remaining forty-plus minutes of pure action mayhem. The film quickly descends into brutal gunfights and savage close-quarter combat that at times recalls The Raid, as Frank tears through wave after wave of enemies in gloriously violent fashion.
Plot-wise? There really isn’t much more to it than that.
And much like the runtime itself, that’s where this review ends.
Last Kill is exactly what it promises to be: a short, savage Punisher story about Frank Castle shooting and beating people senseless. It’s hardly fine art, and quite how this version of the character fits into the upcoming Spider-Man adventures — which are considerably more family-friendly — remains anyone’s guess.
But for those who’ve longed to see Bernthal back wearing the iconic skull, this is an undeniably satisfying tease.
Even if, by the time the credits roll, most viewers will be left asking the exact same question:
“Wait… is that it?”
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