"Gunpowder Milkshake" REVIEW

Early on in Gunpowder Milkshake a group of characters are trying to determine what archetype of super-assassin the film's protagonist belongs to.

"Old-school! No women, no children type?"

Samantha responds, "Women are fair game."

"Gender equality! Very progressive," one character says. Another adds, "She's a feminist."

You, the savvy film viewer, take note of how much emphasis is placed on this line. Surely the writers wouldn't call attention to Samantha's openness regarding killing women for no reason. So you file this note away in your head, waiting for the moment where a twist will force Sam into conflict with another woman, so that this will be paid off. Who will it be? Perhaps the head of some evil organisation will be a woman? Or maybe Sam's estranged mother will end up in desperate need of a bullet?

And when the credits roll, you'll realise that you were giving the writers more credit than they deserved.

Obviously, Sam's going to kill people. Lots of people. But each and every one of those bodies will belong to a man. There will be another meandering comment about feminism later in the movie, but it won't be connected, and ultimately you'll get the feeling that the movie didn't realise that the weird emphasis it placed on killing women in the beginning might seem relevant.

Gunpowder Milkshake is an absurd movie. At times, Gunpowder Milkshake is a self-aware movie. There are even moments where Gunpowder Milkshake threatens to become a good movie.

You see, Gunpowder Milkshake... Sorry, I cannot get over the title. Having watched the movie, I still have no idea what Gunpowder Milkshake means or why they chose to title the movie this way. I am baffled. It is inexplicable. It will stick in my head long after most of the movie is forgotten. Who came up with Gunpowder Milkshake? Why did they think it was a good title? I have written some terrible titles in my time, but Gunpowder Milkshake?

Anyways, where were we?

Gunpowder Milkshake has been called "John Wick with Chicks," and it's not hard to see why. John Wick went to a hotel with a no-violence policy, so Sam goes to a diner with a no-guns policy. John Wick's world is governed by the High Table, and Sam's world is governed by The Firm. John Wick acquires weapons from a man who uses wine terminology as a set of euphemisms for guns, and Sam acquires weapons from some women who use books as euphemisms for guns.

And when characters start explicitly asking Sam what archetype of super-assassin she is? The movie feels self-aware. So when the movie descends into comical levels of absurdity, it feels like it is in on the joke. The movie is winking at us, knowing that this is all unquestionably silly, but asking us to just go along with this extremely goofy ride.

When it nails that tone? Honestly, it works. This peaks with a scene where one character has had their arms put to sleep and has to fight three other characters who are high on laughing gas. I could try to explain how this happened, but it's easier if you just go with it. The movie is peak-absurdity at this point, and the fight scene that follows is the movie's greatest achievement.

If only it managed to keep that going.

See, after that point the movie tries to find a heartfelt tone, and it fails. Part of this is due to some incredibly bad writing, and part of it is due to some incredibly weak performances, and part of it is due to the fact that it just feels anachronistic with the movie we have been watching.

The setting is absurd. Sequences take place in almost dream-like vistas with shockingly bright pinks giving the whole set a neon vibe. There are no bystanders in this world as we move from bowling alleys to shopping malls to hospitals that are all entirely empty. And then a character will mention calling for an Uber, and it feels like it violates the movies own absurd logic.

As the movie proceeds past the absurd laughing gas fight, it struggles and fails to find anything imaginative to do, so the end result isn't just a John Wick knock-off. It's a failed John Wick knock off that has nowhere to go. As with that comment about Sam being a feminist at the start of the movie, the writers have started something that they don't really know how to end, so they just pile on the bodies and enough slow motion to make Zack Snyder yawn and call it a day.

Oh, and considering the movie's multiple comments about feminism and it's plot that pits an all-women team against an all-men team?

Yeah, it was written and directed by two dudes.

Make of that what you will.

If you're hungry for absurd violence, but you want a more charismatic lead and a script that makes slightly more sense? I'd actually direct you towards Kate. These movies are very similar, but Kate is the one that actually worked for me. While that movie is not perfect, dammit if it isn't an entertaining couple of hours, and that movie really knows how to use action.

"Gunpowder Milkshake" and "Kate" are available via Netflix.