Movie Review: ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’

The new movie features the return of Frank Castle, the character played by Jon Bernthal (‘The Accountant 2’) in the Netflix series ‘Marvel’s Daredevil’ and ‘Marvel’s The Punisher’, as well as the MCU series ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ season 1 and the upcoming ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.

‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ was written by Bernthal and Reinaldo Marcus Green (‘King Richard’), who also directed, and in addition to Bernthal stars Andre Royo (‘The Wire’) and Judith Light (‘The Menu’).

Related Article: Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher to Feature in New Marvel TV Special

Initial Thoughts

(L to R) Curtis Hoyle (Jason R. Moore), Frank Castle / The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Nick (Nick Koumalatsos), and Colton (Colton Hill) in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2026 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

Following the events of the Netflix series ‘Daredevil’ and ‘The Punisher’, as well as the MCU series ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ season 1, ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ continues Frank Castle’s story and sets up where we will find him when he meets Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in this summer’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’. But the problem with the movie is that it is only half a story and offers no real conclusion to the new conflict Frank is presented with.

Jon Bernthal is a brilliant actor, and the best to ever portray this character, and his performance is on par with his past work as Castle. The screenplay, which Bernthal co-wrote, explores the character’s PTSD and where his quest for revenge will take him now that he has killed those responsible for his family’s death, as well as giving him a new antagonist to fight against. But while Castle completes the initial task in front of him, he fails to have a final confrontation with his new foe, leaving the audience disappointed that they will have to wait until after ‘Brand New Day’ to see any real conclusion to the story that ‘One Last Kill’ begins.

Story and Direction

(L to R) Director Reinaldo Marcus Green and Jon Bernthal attend the premiere of Marvel’s ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’. Photo: Marvel Studios.

Picking up where ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ season 1 left off, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) has escaped from Mayor Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) secret prison and is now hiding out in a low-income housing facility in the Little Sicily area of New York City. Having killed the members of the Gnucci crime family that were responsible for his family’s death, Frank is dealing with his PTSD and what to do with his life now that he has fulfilled is revengeful mission.

Frank is seeing hallucinations, including that of his wife, his son and daughter, his army buddy Curtis Hoyle (Jason R. Moore), and his friend Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), all of whom try to give Frank the advice he needs. Meanwhile, crime is running rampant in Little Sicily, and stuck in the crosshairs are a coffee shop owner (Andre Royo) and his young daughter Charli (Mila Jaymes).

Frank soon meets a mysterious woman who is revealed to be Ma Gnucci (Judith Light), the matriarch of the Gnucci crime family and the only survivor of Frank’s brutal revenge. In retaliation for killing her husband and her three sons, Gnucci has hired hundreds of assassins and thugs to ascend on Little Sicily and Frank’s apartment building and kill anyone that gets in there way of murdering Frank. Now, Frank must defend himself and the innocent people of Little Sicily, including Charli and her dad, if he wants to escape and live to fight Ma Gnucci another day.

‘A Marvel Television Special Presentation – The Punisher: One Last Kill’ premieres on Disney+ May 12th.

I understand that this is essentially a short film made to set up the character of Frank Castle for his future MCU appearances, but I do wish the film could have had a real conclusion to its story. Frank is given a task in the film, which he completes, and storytelling 101 would say that the completion of the task should lead to a conclusion to his conflict with Ma Gnucci and it does not, leaving ‘One Last Kill’ with an unsatisfying ending. I get that they are saving that ultimate conflict for the future, but it leaves this film feeling incomplete and a few more scenes and 30 more minutes of screen time could have solved that issue.

Putting the lack of a satisfying ending aside, the screenplay by Bernthal and director Reinaldo Marcus Green is very strong and taps into the strength and psyche of the character in a very interesting way. No one knows Frank Castle better than Bernthal at this point, and he explores Frank’s PTSD and his quest for revenge in a very real way. The question of, what is Frank fighting for now that he has avenged his family, is a very interesting one that the movie explores well.

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green is more than capable of handling the character development scenes and explores Frank’s mental capacity and his thirst for revenge, while still leaving space for the character to grow and change. But it’s the action scenes where Green really impresses, with a non-stop action sequence that is reminiscent of ‘The Raid’ or a video game where the hero must advance level to level and face off against bigger opponents each time. This allows us to see Frank at work, with bloody and brutal action sequences that are shocking to see on Disney+.

Cast and Performances

Frank Castle / The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2026 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

Jon Bernthal is the fourth actor to play the Punisher in live action after Dolph Lundgren (1989’s ‘The Punisher’), Thomas Jane (2004’s ‘The Punisher’) and the late Ray Stevenson (2008’s ‘Punisher: War Zone’), and in my opinion is the best. Besides just being one of the best actors working today, Bernthal really understands Castle and what makes him tick, and it also helps that he is physically able to play the character believably.

‘One Last Kill’ gives Bernthal a chance to really explore Frank Castle and how his family’s death and quest for revenge has taken a mental toll on him. But the short film also gives the actor the chance to show us why audiences love the Punisher by fully committing to the brutal, bloody and over the top action sequences. With the character originating on the Netflix series, the Special Presentation helps to make his history in the MCU clear and set him up for further adventures either on the big screen or future Disney+ shows.

Andre Royo brings humanity to his role as the coffee shop owner, and his early connection with Frank sets the stage for Castle helping him and his family later in the film. Jason R. Moore and Deborah Ann Woll both return as their ‘Marvel’s Punisher’ and ‘Marvel’s Daredevil’ characters, Curtis Hoyle, and Karen Page, respectively, but with their characters only being hallucinations in Frank’s mind, they are given very little to do.

Judith Light attends the premiere of Marvel’s ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’. Photo: Marvel Studios.

However, the best addition to the film and the overall Punisher/MCU story arc is actress Judith Light, best known to TV audiences for her work on ‘Who’s the Boss?’ and more recently ‘Poker Face’. Light only has one scene with Bernthal, but it is terrific and shot like a classic standoff in an old Western. The introduction of Ma Gnucci is an important one, and Light lays the groundwork for a formidable character that will play an important role in Frank Castle’s future.

While I would have liked to see more of a conclusion to this arc in the film, Light’s brief performance is believable and menacing, and gives us a window into the ramifications of Frank’s campaign of revenge. While I doubt that we’ll see her in ‘Brand New Day’, Light’s character gives Frank a new mission, and I can’t wait to see her return in future MCU projects.

Final Thoughts

Jon Bernthal attends the premiere of Marvel’s ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’. Photo: Marvel Studios.

At 48 minutes long, ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ isn’t really a movie, it’s more like one long episode of an ongoing TV series, but it does set up the future of the character in the MCU. While I was imaging more of a complete story, with a beginning, middle and end, the film does do the trick in terms of recapping the character’s history and getting audiences excited for his inclusion in the future of the MCU. Castle is an important character in the world of Marvel as he is more of a vigilante than a hero, with no real superpowers.

Having an actor of Bernthal’s caliber already cast in the role gives Marvel a real opportunity to further explore the character in the future, and I hope they do and not just on the small screen. If nothing else, the film sets up Castle’s story for the future, while also offering a formidable antagonist in Ma Gnucci, and another seasoned actor in Judith Light to join the MCU.

‘The Punisher: One Last Kill ’ receives a score of 80 out of 100.

‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ premieres May 12th on Disney+.

What is the plot of ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill ’?

Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) tries to live a life without the need for revenge as the vigilante Punisher, only to be drawn into an unexpected conflict with a rising criminal empire.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill ’?

• Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher
• Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle
• Judith Light as Ma Gnucci
• Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page

‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ will premiere May 12th on Disney+.

Movies and TV Shows Featuring The Punisher:

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