Warning: This article contains spoilers for “The Punisher: One Last Kill”
Marvel Studios
Jon Bernthal’s portrayal of Frank Castle, known as The Punisher, has carved a notable path within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His journey began with a striking entrance in the second season of Netflix’s “Daredevil,” which paved the way for his own series, “The Punisher,” spanning two seasons. Recently, the character resurfaced in “Daredevil: Born Again” on Disney+, where audiences last saw him break free from a prison controlled by none other than then-Mayor Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Instead of bringing him back for the follow-up season, Marvel Studios decided to spotlight him in a special presentation titled “The Punisher: One Last Kill.” This 45-minute feature has been met with praise from critics and fans, although it has not escaped some online ridicule due to a certain CG moment.
About 30 minutes into “One Last Kill,” Frank Castle battles a group of criminals wreaking havoc in his apartment building, in a sequence reminiscent of the iconic action film “The Raid.” The scene escalates to the rooftop where one adversary gains the upper hand, sending Frank plummeting over the edge. He lands on a metal crate, but the computer-generated imagery used makes the sequence resemble an outdated PlayStation 3 video game cutscene, particularly distorting his facial features. While there was speculation that the entire fall was digitally created and left unfinished, recent insights reveal that although CGI was used, a real stunt performer executed the fall.
A source cited by The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the fall was captured on camera. While Bernthal was indeed the one initially thrown from the rooftop, it was his stunt double who took the peculiar-looking dive. The resulting visual, marred by poor compositing, fails to convey any real impact, particularly due to the awkward attempt to superimpose Bernthal’s face onto the stuntman. This odd moment inadvertently highlights the tonal inconsistencies present within the special.
Directed and co-written by Reinaldo Marcus Green alongside Bernthal, “One Last Kill” serves as a condensed revisit of Frank Castle’s journey and the lessons he has endured throughout his MCU storyline. The plot centers on Castle confronting his violent instincts as Ma Gnucci, a crime family matriarch portrayed by Judith Light, targets him for retribution after he took out several of her kin involved in his own family’s murder. Initially grounded in Frank’s internal struggles, the narrative soon spirals into a spectacle of exaggerated violence.
A real stunt ruined by wonky CGI
Marvel Studios
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a source told them that the fall was completed in-camera. While that’s Jon Bernthal getting initially thrown off the roof, it was his stuntman who ultimately took the weird-looking tumble below. If that’s the case, then it’s a very poor piece of compositing. The frenetic bloodbath comes to a halt for a slowed down tumble that’s shot with no real sense of impact. In trying to switch out the stuntman’s face for Bernthal’s, it only calls more attention to how the visual effect makes it look uncanny. If anything, this moment matches the tonal dissonance of the special itself.
Co-written by director Reinaldo Marcus Green and Bernthal himself, “One Last Kill” largely acts as a condensed retread of all the lessons that Frank Castle has already learned throughout his tenure in the MCU. He once again finds himself grappling with his violent nature as crime family matriarch Ma Gnucci (Judith Light) puts a contract on his head as retribution for him killing several members of her clan, who were involved in the slaying of Frank’s family. What starts as a relatively grounded depiction of Frank reliving his internal trauma turns into a cartoonishly violent display of carnage.
Frank ultimately decides to focus his violence on those who bring harm to the community rather than going on revenge sprees. The ending of “The Punisher: One Last Kill” sets up his appearance in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” informing viewers that he’s got a new lease on life and is ready to bring his particular brand of justice to the people who really deserve it. The violence likely won’t be as full-on in the upcoming Spidey flick, though there will no doubt be plenty of CGI — here’s hoping they do a better job of putting Bernthal’s face over that of his stuntman.