Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

 

6/10

Starring

Karen Gillan

Lena Headey

Carla Gugino

Chloe Coleman

Michelle Yeoh

Angela Bassett

Paul Giamatti

 

Directed by Navot Papushado

 

Contains Spoilers

I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. I was expecting a lot of cliché movie tropes, but the film decided to skip those and just let us enjoy the ride. When it comes to female leads, you kind of expect all sugar and spice—females coming together in a colorful setting (Legally Blonde always comes to mind)—or neon-filled, intense power plays like Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde.

This movie, however, is all-out action—guns blazing, nonstop shooting, and all kinds of John Wick vibes. Our lead is thrown into a tough situation and moves with the determination of Atomic Blonde while maintaining a touch of sisterly love.

The one thing I didn’t quite get was the death of one of the female leads. I was rooting for her to make it through to the end, so I was surprised when that wasn’t the case.

The movie is directed and co-written by Navot Papushado, who I wasn’t familiar with before this. But it seems Netflix has already greenlit a sequel, so there’s more to come.

The plot introduces us to Sam (Karen Gillan), a hired killer sent to eliminate two guys. Things spiral out of control, and she ends up killing a lot more people. Unfortunately, one of her victims turns out to be the son of a powerful boss, who now seeks retribution.

We learn that Sam’s life mirrors that of her mother, Scarlet (Lena Headey), who was also a hired killer for the same organization Sam now works for. Scarlet has been in hiding for 15 years, staying away from Sam because she knowingly killed someone she wasn’t supposed to.

Sam’s next job is to retrieve stolen money from her company’s accountant and kill him. She shoots the man but discovers he took the money to save his eight-year-old daughter, Emily. Feeling responsible, Sam decides to protect Emily. This rescue causes the company to lose all the money she was supposed to recover, and now they’re furious. To make matters worse, they hand over her location to the vengeful boss.

Sam escapes with Emily to a supposed safe haven, where she reunites with her mother. Their time together is short-lived as their pursuers catch up. The trio then seeks refuge at a library run by three women—Madeline, Florence, and Anna May—whom Scarlet hasn’t seen since she went underground 15 years ago.

I’ll stop here to leave you some surprises, but you’ll enjoy watching how Sam and the ladies handle the challenges that come their way.