Review: "Gunpowder Milkshake"

Gunpowder Milkshake is a brash, sugar rush that at times is incredibly hard to follow but that's okay as the viewer isn't missing much apart from some gore. On the merit of an action film, it is entertaining enough but with such a talented cast it is borderline criminal not giving any of them anything to sink their teeth into. The film obviously takes a lot of inspiration from the John Wick franchise but, while Wick takes itself much more seriously, Gunpowder Milkshake dives headfirst into the insanely over the top and deeply stylized action scenes. It embraces the crazy right out from the gate.

The plot is rather simple as it follows a dangerous assassin , Eva (Karen Gillan), as she defects from her employers to protect an eight year old girl. In doing so, she turns to her estranged mother that she hasn't seen since she herself was a child, who is also a deadly assassin. Together they look to take down a ruthless crime syndicate and it's never ending army of henchmen led by Nathan (Paul Giamatti) and The Firm. As Eva and her mother, Scarlet (Lena Headey), work together they mend their relationship and realize they wouldn't want anyone else by their side.

The plot and script written by newcomer Navot Papushado is razor thin and luckily the style over substance shtick helps make it at least moderately entertaining. The talented cast also alleviate some of the weakness on the page, but Papushado is also making his debut as a director as well as screenwriter. He does a better job behind the camera as the film is gorgeous in that regard. He also does a good job with the action sequences although there is an overabundance of slow motion which makes the visceral action less realistic and takes the audience out of it. Karen Gillan does an admirable job as she has proven with her previous roles in Jumanji and Guardians of the Galaxy that she does well in action films, but as the leading lady she is a bit a mixed bag. It's hard to tell whether it is completely her fault or Papushado. Gillan has enough charisma to hold attention and holds her own in terms of action scenes, but it is really hard to care for her character and at times it is equally hard to understand her as she mumbles in the beginning.

Lena Headey does an admirable job as the assassin mother filled with regret as do the others in Angela Bassett, Carla Gugino and Michelle Yeoh. Bassett's Anna May is a bit overly campy, while Yeoh has some standout visceral action scenes. Gugino's Madeleine feels like the den mother of the whole crew. The quartet all seem to have a past but like much of the film it isn't greatly explored, possibly left ambiguous in the hopes of a potential sequel, or much like the Wick franchise they don't have an interest in world building. Instead, it is likely they simply have a library filled with books that are stuffed with weapons inside of a beautiful large building similar to the diner and hotel that housed assassins in the Wick franchise.

The relationship between Gillan's Eva and the girl she rescues, Emily, is obviously related to that of Eva and her mother. Eva doesn't want something horrible to happen to Emily, as it would be history repeating itself. Another lost, wayward girl who turned to the life of being an assassin due to everyone leaving her. However, when we first meet Emily, we learn that Eva had killed her husband. For a rather big dramatic beat in a story, it is glossed over in a second and Emily doesn't even mourn for her father. That in itself is emblematic on the film as a whole. It moves quickly from scene to scene in a hurry to get to the next big action set piece not allowing the audience to really care for any of the characters. Now, that'll fly for some viewers, but if you are not one of those viewers, this film will probably be something you will want to skip. Otherwise, it fits the bill as a fun stylistic summer action flick.