REVIEW: Gunpowder Milkshake’s Leading Ladies Make Up for It’s Not So Great Story

Abandoned at a young age by her mother, Scarlet (Lena Headey), Sam (Karen Gillan) has never worried about anyone but herself. Now an adult, Sam works as an assassin for Nathan (Paul Gimatti), a ruthless crime lord who only cares about the job getting done. When a mission goes sideways, Sam finds herself protecting a young girl named Emily (Chloe Coleman) from Nathan and his band of assassins. As the race to survive goes on, Sam teams up with her mother and her mother’s former sidekicks, Anna May (Angela Bassett), Florence (Michelle Yeoh), and Mathilde (Carla Gugino) to stop Nathan before it is too late.

The overall storyline in Gunpowder Milkshake is not the greatest, but watching this group of women kick butt for almost two hours is well worth it. Gillan, Headey, Bassett, Yeoh, and Gugino are fabulous on screen together. The women go from calm and cool to knife throwing, guns blazing assassins without batting an eye. You can tell they had a lot of fun making this movie together. Coleman is an enjoyable addition to the group, as well. I sometimes find that having children in adult movies can be a tad bit annoying, but Coleman does nothing but add value, and some comedic relief, to her scenes.

The story certainly is extremely predictable and lacks any real character development, but if you focus on the action, the movie is not that bad. The visuals do help elevate the not so great story. Director Navot Papushado makes each action scene colorful and seamless. From the detail in the costumes to the magnificent scenery, each physical aspect of the movie is filled with vibrant life. Think of this film as a cross between Kill Bill and John Wick and you should have a good idea of what Papushado was trying to achieve.

Gunpowder Milkshake could haven been a great film, if only the story had been a little better. But, if you can push that aspect aside, you will be thoroughly entertained by the action and the female led cast.

Grade: C+