The Punisher: One Last Kill

 

Now that he’s finished avenging his murdered family, Force Recon Marine-turned-vigilante Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) is left haunted by past traumas and lacking a reason to live. Meanwhile, in the wake of his rampage against organized crime, violent street gangs have filled the void in Little Sicily. However, the Gnucci crime family that Frank thought he had extinguished is not finished yet. Matriarch Ma Gnucci (Judith Light) has survived and put a bounty on his head.

A controversial character, The Punisher is easily misunderstood and just as easily dismissed as a simplistic fascist. Across his appearances in Daredevil and his own solo series, Bernthal succeeded in giving the character layers as his iteration of Frank is just as capable of wisecracking and protectiveness as he is of ruthless killing and primal rage. Given this feel for the person behind the skull symbol, it is both confounding and disappointing that Bernthal, who wrote One Last Kill, supplied him with such lackluster material here.

As with The Punisher series, the acting and action outpace the writing. Frank, PTSD-stricken and suicidal, is as broken as we’ve ever seen him, and Bernthal convincingly conveys his pain. At the same time, when he’s backed into a corner, he reverts to being a one-man army, dispatching thugs with guns, knives, bats, and more. While the film was (rightly) lambasted for some dodgy SFX shots, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s direction is largely competent. The real problem here is the tone. Whereas the MCU version of The Punisher has been fairly grounded, the roving street gangs and ultraviolent mayhem push One Last Kill into cartoonish territory. We’ve seen an over-the-top version of The Punisher before in Lexi Alexander’s 2008 film War Zone, and it was something of a guilty pleasure. Here, it accomplishes nothing but undermining the sincerity of the pathos displayed.

Beyond that, One Last Kill does little to move the needle narratively. Returning characters are reduced to hallucinations Frank experiences while new ones get very little development. Some hammy dialogue aside, Light at least leaves an impression during her brief screen time. Andre Royo (of The Wire fame) is wasted as a beleaguered shopkeeper. Thematically, the question that One Last Kill poses about the value of Frank’s crusade was already answered – and answered better – by a fan film (Dirty Laundry, featuring Thomas Jane) more than a decade ago.

Despite these very glaring flaws, One Last Kill doesn’t quite merit an automatic “skip.” It’s only fifty minutes long, and both Bernthal’s acting (as strong as his writing is weak) and the increasingly creative ways Frank inflicts damage may be enough, for some, to justify the investment of that little time. Those wanting more, however, can safely sit this one out and instead look for the character to return in the next Spider-Man film.

Mr. Poke

 

Located at 507 Nelson Street in Kernersville, Mr. Poke offers poke bowls and other Hawaiian fare. It is open from 11-8:30 Monday-Thursday, 11-9 on Saturday, and closed on Sunday. Online ordering is available, and the restaurant offers a loyalty program.

If the construction-inspired traffic delays aren’t a dead giveaway, Kernersville is growing. While a poke bowl place popping up here might have raised an eyebrow a few years ago, Mr. Poke’s arrival is in keeping with that recent growth. Just as there are growing pains, Mr. Poke, open for only a few weeks, has room for improvement.

Positives first: the folks here are very nice and welcoming. Starting at $11.99, the bowls are also a decent value, especially if you stop by at lunch time when a drink is included. There are a half-dozen presets, and you can build your own, offering choice and versatility.

Take a closer look at the menu, however, and things get a bit weird. You won’t find pickled radish, pickled ginger, or purple cabbage among the available toppings, but you will find jalapenos, banana peppers, and tomatoes. These are curious departures, to say the least.

The bowl that I tried was, unfortunately, underwhelming. I went with spicy tuna as my protein, and there was nothing wrong with the fish, thankfully. It tasted fresh, and they got the flavors right. However, pineapple chunks seemed like they were straight out of a can, and the bowl as a whole was rather dry. Being able to include more than one sauce would have remedied this, but the menu did not present that as an option.

For newcomers to poke, Mr. Poke can be a decent entry point. However, if you’ve had poke before, you’ve had it better elsewhere. Here’s hoping that Mr. Poke steps up its game over time.

Atomic Rooster

 

Located at 275 North Elm Street in the Stock and Grain food hall in High Point, Atomic Rooster specializes in hot chicken. It opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 7 (Sundays), 8 (Monday-Wednesday), 9 (Thursday), or 10 (Friday and Saturday). Online ordering is available.

Stock and Grain eateries are hit-or-miss for me, but I do like a good hot chicken sandwich. Atomic Rooster boasts several plus chicken strips and starters/sides. It’s a fairly compact menu though it does give you a few permutations (plain, buffalo, Asian, etc.) to choose from.

I went with the Carolina Hot sandwich (chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, Carolina hot sauce, spicy ranch), which came with a side of hot chips and a choice of dipping sauce. While Stock and Grain prices tend to run high, $14 was in-line with other local options. 

The food, however, proved to be a mixed bag. Both the chicken and chips were nice and crispy, offering a satisfyingly crunchy bite. The chicken may not have been particularly spicy, but it didn’t lack in flavor. It managed to be well-sauced without becoming too much of a mess to enjoy. That said, it was perhaps the thinnest chicken patty I’ve ever seen. Calling it half as thick as the bun would be overly generous, and that cuts into the meal’s value considerably.

You could do worse than Atomic Rooster, but it’s not a place that’s worth going out of your way to frequent.