Title: The Punisher
Creator: Steve Lightfoot
Cast: Jon Bernthal, Amber Rose Revah, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Season: 1
Rating: 4.5
Summary from IMDb
After the murder of his family, Marine veteran Frank Castle became a vigilante known as “The Punisher” with only one goal in mind, to avenge them.
The lines between good and evil are completely blurred in The Punisher. Frank Castle unveils some dark truths about the army, about the government. In the first episode he settles the score, he finishes his path of vengeance towards the people who killed his family. From then on he lives in solitude without too much purpose and only his torment as company. But when he meets Micro, or rather when Micro finds him, things change.
The Punisher is not an easy show to create. With the debate about guns going on in the USA, this might be very controversial. Especially when subtlety is not the show’s strongest suit. In some episodes they almost shout their political opinion to the viewer. That’s not the only topic that stands in the spotlight. PTSD which is very important to talk about and is handled very good here. Several times a group of veterans is filmed who talk about who they are after their time in the army. What they think, what they experience in this complex world where living might be more difficult than serving for your country. Sometimes shown in hard ways, but worth talking about.
Before I talk about the cast and the characters I want to congratulate Marvel and everyone involved on making the amazing opening credits. Every show from Marvel on Netflix has a truly amazing intro and I always look forward to them when a new show is introduced.
The Punisher wouldn’t be as great if it hadn’t had some wonderful supporting cast. Jon Bernthal who portrays The Punisher can handle with no doubt this lead role. He made this complex character something unique and deserves a standing ovation for his acting. No one could have done this better. Beside Frank Castle we find David Lieberman aka Micro, portrayed by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. They have such a great chemistry on-screen and every time the both of them truly deliver some great scenes.
Not only Micro, also Amber Rose Revah who portrays Dinah Madani is an excellent actress. She’s recruited to DHS and works on a case which involves a sin of Frank Castles past and more. Ben Barnes (Westworld) portrays Billy Russo. Billy is Frank’s best friend, who like Frank has his inner demons to slay but handles that in a completely different way. This character gets time to develop in the 13 episodes, which at first might seem slow but it turns out to be a really interesting development. Deborah Ann Woll returns as Karen Paige who I would have loved to see a little more in this series, but mainly serves as the glue to the other Marvel shows on Netflix.
What will you get when you watch The Punisher? Good and bad doesn’t exist here. It’s questioned throughout the show. Talented actors is guaranteed. You can only love Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle who is vicious and caring at the same time. If you can handle violence you should give this show a chance.
