Frank Castle is back for one big, brutal, and bloody adventure in The Punisher: One Last Kill. This special presentation takes us into what’s been going on with him recently as he tries to find meaning in his life after seeking vengeance for his family. We already know that the Punisher is a surgeon with guns and his hands but, in One Last Kill, we got to see him use an unexpected and very creative weapon that’s reminiscent of Jason Bourne: an ink pen.
Frank is literally fighting for his life after Ma Gnucci, the remaining member of the criminal Gnucci family, sends a host of people out to kill him. As she said, she wants to do the punishing, and she’s certainly not alone. Frank comes to an important crossroads on a New York City street that looks like a war zone. He has the chance to go after Ma Gnucci and kill her pretty swiftly, or he can help a family who has been kind to him. He watches a local bakery owner fight against a band of criminals who want to take his shop and harm his family. Frank chooses to run towards the bakery and save innocent people.
Just when he thinks he’s taken everyone down, another guy runs in and catches him with a sneak attack. He’s bludgeoning Frank badly when Frank spots an ink pen nearby. He picks it up and strategically stabs this guy in several places until he dies. The shop owner’s daughter gives him a handmade paper rose, which Frank takes to his daughter’s grave. It seems to bring him not only a renewed sense of peace to save a family when he couldn’t save his own, but to also continue to move forward and defend the “little guy.” Ya know, like Daredevil but with more death.
This usage of a pen immediately reminded us of The Bourne Identity when Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne cleverly used a pen in a fight to take down an enemy. Sure, we’ve seen Frank use things other than guns to take people down in the past, like weights in the gym and a sledgehammer.
But The Punisher: One Last Kill perhaps gives him the most consecutive time with creative weapons, like the pen as well as a baseball bat. It’s a testament to his resourcefulness and extensive military training. One thing is for sure: we’d never, ever try to fight him under any circumstances.