Gunpowder Milkshake is a female-dominated, assassin-action-film with Karen Gillan as lead playing Sam, a young assassin who has climbed the ranks and become a top assassin for The Firm, an all-male organization with widespread influence. Sam is catapulted into the life of an assassin due to her mother's sudden disappearance, but a string of bad luck forces her into a corner. She is given bad info on a job, leading to the killing of the son of a rival of The Firm and she kills an innocent man who was being blackmailed, leaving behind his only daughter, Emily (Chloe Coleman). After this, she loses protection from The Firm and must fight for her life while seeking to right her wrong by protecting Emily.
This film pulls heavily from similar films such as Kill Bill, John Wick, and Atomic Blonde. Very heavily. And I see it in two ways. There are some films that are love letters to their inspirations and the work done before them, and there are films that take certain concepts and utilize them in a way that allows the film itself to develop its own identity.
Unfortunately, I am having trouble seeing this film as doing the latter. It seems too familiar to its inspiration and doesn't do anything new per se. It has bullet storms and brutal hand-to-hand combat scenes. It has a slow-motion oner with sparks and blood flying everywhere. It has the solemn, cold protagonist who develops empathy by the end of the film. These are all good things and they are done well(ish). However, there just isn't anything unique about it.
And while it certainly delivers aesthetically, it barely misses the mark in everything else. Don't get me wrong, this is a solid watch. However, it is easy to see that it had significant potential but just couldn't deliver 100%.
Here is my primary grievance with the film:
The Fight Scenes
This may be the biggest setback of the film, in my opinion. There is certainly good action here, and there is some great fight choreography (yes, here comes the but...). But, when it comes to the use of fists, kicks, and physical contact, it all lacks the most important aspect of fight choreography: the impact. Too many of the hits lack convincing impact, so it becomes too obvious that it has been rehearsed. And because of this, it doesn't look convincing.
The use of guns is much more satisfying, but the action is certainly where this movie falls short of the rawness that John Wick and Atomic Blonde sport.
Regardless, if you are looking for a high-action, high-octane movie, this does not disappoint on that front.
There are a few other complaints that I have, but they are most likely just nitpicking so I won't bother to get into them.
Now is there anything likable about this movie? Definitely.
The Aesthetic
I thoroughly enjoyed how this film looked. It's like a neon drowned, '80s styled diner but in assassin movie form. That may not make a ton of sense, but what I'm trying to say is that the '80s have a heavy influence throughout this movie. You'll see why.
There are also lots of beautifully set neon lights/neon-lit shots that are terrifically pretty and visually appealing. I guess it is similar to John Wick in this way and I won't take away points for that.
The Relationships
While there are a number of places where the acting leaves something to be desired, the on-screen interactions between Sam (Gillan) and Emily (Coleman) are cute, witty, funny, and endearing. I loved their dynamic and honestly, Emily (Coleman) is one of the highlights of the film. She has a lot of innocent humor and is also who everyone realizes they must protect, and it's not as if anyone is hunting Emily, they all simply take on this motherly role and choose to defend her.
On top of this, Every actor has a great moment(s) with Emily (Coleman). I'm not saying she is flawless, but she certainly allows for solid moments throughout the film. For instance, most of the scenes where Emily (Coleman) and Madeleine (Carla Gugino) interact are incredibly endearing and sweet and tragic. It is easy for the addition of a significantly young actor/character to do more negatively for a movie than positively. Yet, in this case, Emily (Coleman) does a fantastic job (outside of her shocking, and eventually unbelievable absence of empathy as the film goes on).
Sam, Virgil, & Florence
The standout performers in Gunpowder Milkshake are Sam (Gillan), Virgil (the nephew of the big bad played by Adam Nagaitis), and Florence (member of the assassin sisterhood played by Michelle Yeoh).
Gillan had the majority of screen time, and though there were flaws, she has a number of great moments of all kinds from action to humor and dialogue.
Virgil (Nagaitis) was an interesting addition to the film that I was not expecting (though I should have having seen John Wick and similar "You-messed-with-the-wrong-people" movie plots). He is a different kind of cold and calculating that you do not see much in movies. He is very cool and level-headed to a fault, never raising his voice or allowing veins to pop out of his head. He was almost like a hippy assassin. Virgil (Nagaitis) was an overall fun character and I enjoyed the scenes he was a part of.
Florence (Yeoh) was the strongest member of the sisterhood of librarian assassins in both action and acting. She takes the cake, and she, without a doubt, has some of the best scenes in the entire movie. The chain??? Absolutely sick. The diner fight? Amazing. Honestly, she's the true John Wick of this movie. Two thumbs up from me. But in all seriousness, Michelle Yeoh is a character that you have to love, while the other sisters leave a little to be desired. Especially (and dear Lord, I hate to say it but...) Angela Bassett. Yes, I know. We love her, but she sort of fell short here.
All-Out, All-Female Brawl
It is really easy to lose the organic flow and tone of a film when there is a specific message or lens that the filmmakers are attempting to communicate. Sometimes, the message overhauls the film and the remaining components fall flat, rather than allowing the components of the film to do the work and let the message organically unfold as the movie progresses. (Hopefully, that wasn't too convoluted.)
With that being said, the all-female team versus the all-male Firm/group works very well. The plot progresses fairly naturally and the motivations for the team are centered around surviving the onslaught, protecting Emily (and Sam as well), and redemption, rather than "take down the men!" (which is certainly a motivation, but is so without remaining shallow or becoming stale). On a minor note, this movie could have benefitted from a longer run time to flesh out a few things, but it's not a huge deal at all.
To conclude this, I want to make sure I say that this is NOT a bad film. I enjoyed sitting down and watching it. However, it isn't a masterpiece or the next John Wick or Atomic Blonde, but that's okay because it got close enough to be noticeable, fun, and entertaining.
Gunpowder Milkshake can be streamed on Netflix now.
