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| Images courtesy Netflix |
If John Wick took itself a lot less seriously, turned up the cheese factor to about 20%, and pressed shuffle on a Spotify playlist, you’d have Gunpowder Milkshake. It goes without saying that the film heavily borrows from other, more well known entries in the lone assassin genre but it adds a surprising amount of charm and pathos to it that make it slightly more unique.
Karen Gillan, the Scottish star of Jumanji and Guardians of the Galaxy fame, lands her first(hopefully of many) leading action role as Samantha, a famed assassin on the run from a major crime syndicate. Released on July 14th, the Netflix exclusive is filled with bright neon hues and expertly crafted cinematography that make the film enjoyable to look at. With minimal cuts and fluid shots, the action is very immersive at points but can also lean too much into cartoonish territory.
There are some memorable action set pieces- namely, two scenes in a hospital and diner- that elevate much of the eye-rolling cliches littered in the film. The film is oddly endearing in some aspects. When Samantha meets an 8-year-old(ahem, 8 and three quarters) girl named Emily, the two develop a bond almost immediately as Sam sees herself in her and serves as her spiritual mother almost as she navigates her way through the seedy crime underworld.
The pastel-like color in the film gives it a timeless quality, looking like something out of a late ‘90s, early 2000s manga. The soundtrack is chock-full with the likes of Janis Joplin and the Animals which aids this aspect of the film. While enjoyable in certain scenes, it felt a bit distracting in others. I can pick out maybe one or two scenes where the songs used actually complemented or elevated the film. In others, it weirdly felt like a quota was being filled to use as much music as possible in the shortest amount of time.
The dialogue wasn’t the greatest at points either. It felt tonally jarring at points where characters would say or do something in an attempt to be funny but just came off feeling hollow. Thankfully, the star-studded cast with legends like Paul Giamatti, Michelle Yeoh, and more bring their gravitas to elevate the script but not by much. The ending was pretty good and has me open to seeing a sequel if one isn’t already in the works. If you enjoy Karen Gillan as an action heroine or just need something mindless on to pass the time, Gunpowder Milkshake will be right up your alley.
-Michael Omoruan