Entertainment
Violent, R-Rated Action Thriller On Netflix Is A Neon-Drenched Bloodbath
By Robert Scucci
| Published
2021’s Gunpowder Milkshake gets off on its name alone, but that’s only a hint at what this action thriller is capable of. Playing out like a girl-power version of John Wick, the film follows a secret society of assassins who quickly realize just how in over their heads they are when they mess with the wrong woman. When a job goes sideways, we learn how deep this organization runs and how far they’re willing to go to maintain control. Unfortunately for them, they’ve picked the wrong target this time around.
Gunpowder Milkshake, while a little heavy handed in its messaging, remains a rock solid action thriller with next-level stunt choreography. It’s so much fun that any sense of preachiness quickly takes a back seat to the onslaught of expertly staged carnage delivered by its protagonist and anyone unlucky enough to stand in her way.
It Must Run In The Family
We’re first introduced to a 12-year-old Sam (Freya Allan) in Gunpowder Milkshake when she meets her mother, Scarlet (Lena Headey), at a diner. What Sam doesn’t yet understand is that her mother belongs to a sisterhood of assassins and works for a shadowy organization known as The Firm. Scarlet abruptly leaves Sam behind, prompting The Firm’s HR representative, Nathan (Paul Giamatti), to assume responsibility for her well being.
Fifteen years later, a grown-up Sam (Karen Gillan) is now following in her mother’s footsteps, working as an assassin for The Firm and carrying out hits with ruthless efficiency. She’s clearly good at her job, but cracks begin to form in this working relationship when she’s assigned a mission involving a kidnapped girl named Emily (Chloe Coleman).
Sam is initially tasked with tracking down Emily’s father, who stole a large sum of money from The Firm. What she soon discovers is that the theft was an act of desperation, as he was trying to ransom the money to get his daughter back. Unable to complete the job in good conscience, Sam makes a decision that immediately puts her in direct conflict with The Firm, and one of their most powerful clients.
The organization’s high council meets with Nathan and resolves to eliminate Sam, who not only botched the job intentionally but also destroyed the stolen money before fleeing with Emily. On the run and out of options, Sam turns to Madeleine (Carla Gugino), Florence (Michelle Yeoh), and Anna May (Angela Bassett), members of the sisterhood of assassins who operate out of an armory disguised as a library.
From here, Gunpowder Milkshake becomes a neon-drenched fight to the death between The Firm and the sisterhood. The film makes it clear very quickly that only one side is walking away from this alive.
We Get It, The Firm Is The Patriarchy
Since I’m not a huge fan of heavy-handed messaging, I wasn’t particularly sold on the whole “patriarchy bad” angle the film leans into. The Firm is portrayed as an entrenched power structure that’s controlled things for a very long time and now feels threatened by the sisterhood of assassins. The issue with this framing is that both groups kill an absurd number of people, so claiming moral superiority over an organization that does the exact same thing you do feels a bit disingenuous.
That minor nitpick aside, Gunpowder Milkshake earns serious points for its relentless pacing and inventive fight sequences. I tried counting the body count in real time, but I ran out of fingers and toes fairly quickly and abandoned the idea altogether.
Karen Gillan is an absolute beast once Sam is compromised, and her willingness to fully commit to the physicality of the role deserves praise. Even after being injected with a serum that paralyzes her arms, she tapes guns and knives to her hands and relies on momentum and brute force to take down her targets. Paul Giamatti is reliably excellent as the spineless HR rep who wants to do right by Sam but lacks the courage to stand up to The Firm, adding a welcome layer of dark comedy to the chaos.
All in all, Gunpowder Milkshake is basically a chick John Wick, and I’m completely on board with that. It’s violent, stylish, and knowingly campy at just the right moments, making for a wildly entertaining watch from start to finish. If you’re ready to see what kind of girl power Sam and the rest of her sisterhood are willing to unleash, Gunpowder Milkshake is streaming on Netflix as of this writing.