BOX SETS AND ON DEMAND

Marvel’s The Punisher (Netflix, from Fri)

In February 1974, the character of Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, was born, making his debut appearance in issue 129 of The Amazing Spider-Man. He is not a superhero. Instead, he is a one-man killing machine, a vigilante who will use any skill or tactic at his disposal to bring villains to justice, driven on by the murder of his wife and two children. Over the years, he has popped up on screen but now he’s back in a 13-part series, this time with Jon Bernthal, having previously played Castle in Daredevil, taking the lead role.

Mudbound (Netflix, from Fri)

It took Hillary Jordan seven years to write the novel on which this period drama film is based, but it was worth the effort. She’s penning a sequel, so we can look forward to a follow-up in the coming years, but for now here’s a chance to throw yourself into the world of Second World War veterans Jamie McAllan and Ronsel Jackson. While Henry is the handsome and charming brother of a farmer from the Mississippi Delta, Jackson is the eldest son of the black tenant farmers who live on the McAllan farm. Despite their differences in social standing, they form a friendship but, as Henry is feted as a hero, Jackson faces bigotry at every turn. They also deal with their nightmarish memories of the conflict, while McAllan draws ever closer to his brother’s wife. Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell and Mary J Blige star.

Jon Bernthal is Frank Castle in The Punisher