Gunpowder Milkshake (2021

By Emily Hubbard

Karen Gillan led team-up doesn’t punch as hard as it hoped

• 3/5 Cameras 🎥🎥🎥
• Directed by: Navot Papushado
• Starring: Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Michelle Yeoh, and Angela Bassett
• Where to find it: In Cinemas Now and on Sky Cinema 

No Copyright Infringement Intended 

If you were to pitch me a film with the premise ‘a female John Wick starring Karen Gillan and featuring Michelle Yeoh and Angela Bassett’ I would immediately throw a big wad of money at you and demand to watch it instantly on the biggest screen possible. Rather disappointingly though, Gunpowder Milkshake doesn’t live up to the high expectations its all-star cast attracted.

The film stars Karen Gillan as Sam, a reluctant heroine and trained killer who was abandoned by her mother (also a trained killer named Scarlet, played by the ever-wonderful Lena Headey) as a child. Early on in the film, a series of events leads to Sam (Karen Gillan), and a group of female assassins, having to protect an 8-year-old girl from an army of truly dreadful thugs. Despite the fun premise, and while I am always a fan of films about a group of badass women teaming up to protect one of their own whilst beating a group of men up in the process (see my earlier review of Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), Gunpowder Milkshake lacks the originality to make it stand out from others in the genre.

It's hard to ignore the similarities this film has with John Wick, so much so that I’ve mentioned the Keanu Reeves modern-day classic already in this review. Gillan’s Sam is a stoic trained killer, similar to John Wick, yet the character isn’t nearly as well written or charismatic enough to truly draw you in. Sam’s (Karen Gillan) deadpan demeanour that she carries for the first (and mysteriously loses by the third) act comes across as cringey and almost mirrors that of Nick Cage’s ‘Spider-Man Noir’ in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A comparison I never thought I’d make. Gunpowder Milkshake is also ultra-violent, yet the violence is played in a more comedic sense here than in John Wick, a move that actually works in the film’s favour.

As previously mentioned, Gunpowder Milkshake suffers from a disappointing lack of originality. The film begins in a promising manner, with a tone similar to film noir classics from the 1940s and 1950s, whilst also including some eye-catching sped-up action sequences. If this tone would have been fully committed to, Gunpowder Milkshake could easily have been a stand-out film of the year. However, its’ eventual fall back into the more traditional style of action film storytelling is disheartening.

Despite these flaws, the film does have many positives. Visually, Gunpowder Milkshake is stunning, a real treat for the eyes. The frequent use of bold neon colours and unique camera techniques make up for some of the films’ failures. The camera work is also worth mentioning, with multiple arc shots and a slow-motion shoot-out to Janis Joplin’s Piece of My Heart being a highlight of the film.

Gunpowder Milkshake is also elevated by its’ extremely talented cast, with Michelle Yeoh (Florence), Angela Bassett (Anna May), and Carla Gugino (Madeleine) being scene stealers every time they are on screen, giving me the library-owning assassin team-up I never knew I needed. The relationship between Sam (Karen Gillan) and Emily (Chloe Coleman), the aforementioned 8-year-old girl who ends up under her protection, is touching and at times rather amusing. A beautiful example of how unexpected additions to a persons’ life can bring out the best in them.

Gunpowder Milkshake had a lot of potential, and while it didn’t fully fail with its’ stunning visuals and talented cast, the films’ refusal to commit to a singular tone is its’ downfall.