The Punisher: One Last Kill

The Special Presentation is the character study that makes you more invested if you weren't already on board, while paving the way for a new era for the MCU's Punisher.

Punisher does a lot of killing in his Marvel Special Presentation. A whole lot. But layered into the over-the-top violence is a powerful character study of a PTSD-addled veteran who has lost nearly everything.

It’s an approach that doesn’t necessarily do anything new with the character in the MCU (nor does it address any of the shortcomings of that approach), but it’s one that succeeds in stripping away the extraneous fluff of the Netflix series and just giving fans what they crave.

The special is ultimately a mixed bag, doing little to elevate the character or engage the audience that’s already deeply familiar with The Punisher. Still, its low barrier of entry means that a few new people might find the character and dive deeper into his story.

As is, “Punisher” is pure grindhouse fare with more grunts and groans than dialogue; it’ll make you long for something with more meat on its bones.

What starts as a promising, street-level perspective on a tiny corner of Manhattan (accomplished far more convincingly than "Daredevil: Born Again" ever managed to do) eventually goes the way of pretty much anything else the MCU touches: an empty vessel for more empty spectacle to come.

In a virtually plotless 48-minute story, we're treated to a tiresome retread of the Punisher's self-destructive grief, paired with another of his bloodthirsty killing sprees. Narratively speaking, One Last Kill is such a nothingburger that you may wonder why it exists at all.

This movie delivers and is probably better than some recent MCU movies that have come out. I was quite surprised when I saw this. Didnt expect it to be all that.

10/10 Even though it's a special, it's totally worth it. There should be more of The Punisher. I hope people enjoy this special; every scene was amazing.

Just a watch punisher kill crooks short movie. Could have been great if it didn't have terrible cgi but if you like punisher you'll like this.

Meh Good to see the punisher back. This rendition is pretty mentally damaged. Seeing people who aren't there. It goes too far with that and it gets boring. There also seems to be something missing in that... was almost better when we knew he had issues but was more effective when it wasn't being rubbed into our face. Outside that it is basically a video game of killing. Again - a little boring. Whatever 'plot' device they used so an entire city is after punisher - it didn't really work. So - meh - in that I hope Punisher becomes a series again but - meh - in that I hope the producers got this part out of their system.

Frank Castle is an intriguing character. I haven’t watched the series but this seems a bit like just a lot of gratuitous violence in New York City. The Punisher had every right to defend himself and others and kill lots of antagonists in the process but what is the end game here?