Jon Bernthal's turn as Frank Castle on season 2 of Daredevil completely stole the show. His intensity and conviction as The Punisher blew everyone away and he deservedly got his own series. His brilliant performance carries over into The Punisher series, he's not as emotionally vulnerable but the man knows how to grunt, scream and act like he's viciously "punishing" his enemies. He's a bull in a china shop, just like the character should be and he has great chemistry with all of his co-stars including Ben Barnes as his antagonist Billy Russo. Bernthal channels Castle's rage and pain into every interaction and he's great throughout. Ben Barnes has never really stood out in any performance I've seen (to this point) but I think he's just as good as Billy. They gave Russo a lot more dimension than I expected but Barnes is surprisingly adept at conveying his inner anguish and his struggle to accept the compromises he made for fortune and power. Because of Barnes' work, you want to trust Billy and you want to believe he can be redeemed. Amber Rose Revah also brings some humanity to Dinah Madani. Madani starts as the typical "tough and no nonsense type" but after she's manipulated by Russo, her layers are peeled back a little and her perspective shifts. Revah is adept at showing Madani at her strongest and at her weakest and she takes what could have been a stock police contact and makes it something more. Jason R. Moore and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are both really good as Curtis and David respectively. Jason especially helps humanize Frank and make Curtis a sympathetic ear to both friends and foes of Frank Castle. Deborah Ann Woll is a welcome return as Karen Page, her character's conflict and her compassion helps ground Frank and she still works well with Jon Bernthal.

Personal growth is an important part of any character piece but I don't think that's the primary focus of this show. Castle is a force of nature and a man willing to lay his life on the line to enforce his stance on the various problems afflicting him. But while I'll talk more about the pros and cons of his morality (or lack thereof), I was less interested in seeing him upgrade his moral compass. The other characters come around to his viewpoint, not the other way around and while that could be viewed a problematic, it wasn't a deal breaker for me. The show does have a few good messages about the treatment of vets with PTSD and how they don't get the resources or care they need when they return home from their fight which helps mitigate the more shades of grey moral of the story.

Frank Castle isn't known for his mercy or his even temperament and if there's another aspect of this show that shines, it's the bone-crunching action. The fight choreography is great and would leave me wincing or a little shocked. The gun play is also good and the action set pieces play an important part in the story overall. They underscore the gravity and depth of Frank's inner torment and how his commitment to his form of "justice" is unwavering. He believes wholeheartedly in his cause and he is the unstoppable force that armed with his purpose, he cannot and will not be contained.

The Punisher doesn't have many glaring weaknesses but I'm going to echo a lot of the user reviews here have said already. The 2nd season is fine but the 1st season is the stronger one. The villains they bring in just aren't as intimidating and Castle's journey in the initial offering is a lot more streamlined and the motivation is stronger. I wasn't as offended or angry as some of the other reviewers but it just doesn't live up to the bar the original season set. I also mentioned that Frank has his own special brand of justice he likes to dole out to the guilty. While the show does intermittently point out that Frank's ruthlessness isn't fair or without moral missteps, it kind of glosses over any unpleasant questions it raises. This is fine but I think Daredevil did a better job of showing the whole scope of Frank's actions and how the consequences to both the guilty and the righteous don't always allocate how they should.

The Punisher is an appropriately gritty and heavy handed show about one vigilante's search for justice and despite some well worn material and an only okay second season, it gets the job done. If you focus on the highlight performances and the blood-soaked fight scenes, the show carries the ball past the goal line. As long as you aren't squeamish (both for the gore and the style of justice Frank espouses), it's worth checking out. It's a shame that we may never see Jon Bernthal portray Frank again and he'll always be who I picture as this character.