Netflix’s Gunpowder Milkshake – A Cinematic Sugar Rush

Gunpowder Milkshake follows a young assassin named Sam (Gillan) who at 12 years old was left behind by her assassin mother Scarlett (Headey) who had to flee from armed men after a botched job. Fifteen years after the fact, they have to team up, along with Scarlett’s former sidekicks, Madeleine, Florence, and Anna May (Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, and Angela Bassett) in order to save and eight and three quarter-year old girl named Emily (Chloe Colman) for whom Sam ironically killed her father accidentally.

Gunpowder Milkshake is definitely a film where viewers have to know what they are getting themselves into. They have to be ready for almost non-stop thrills within a gaudy, knowingly glossed-up kind of roughed-up world. Many have probably seen this sort of neon sugar-rush aesthetic before, but it’s popular for a reason. It can set a mood in a noir-ish atmosphere, and it’s reliable for juxtaposition against brutal action such as featured in this. Director and co-writer Papushado doesn’t necessarily break any new ground with this style, but it is appealing and never gets tiring. Meanwhile, cinematographer Michael Seresin deserves some credit for making the candy colors pop.

But what about the action? Does it live up to the sort of stylized expectations beset by a title like Gunpowder Milkshake? Well, it is edgy and violent, but more importantly, it’s kinetic, dynamic, and changes up movement enough to keep your attention. Particularly impressive is how it ties into certain plot beats, such as Sam teaching Emily how to drive, or Sam having to tape weapons to her hands since her arms are paralyzed. Viewers can see the influences and throwback nature from such films as The Matrix and the Kill Bill films though those films are influential for a reason while there is something to be said for a film that does that sort of throwback just right. There is also a hint of dark comedy to these beats that adds to the enjoyability factor.

If this reviewer were to pinpoint a criticism here, it would be that the drama at the center feels rather sidelined. The relationship between Sam and Scarlett feels sidelined, as does the inclusion of Scarlett’s sisterhood members. The characters too often feel like pieces to invigorate more action scenes, which can be entertaining but also feel a little bit ephemeral. The film should have featured more of an even balance within the story to make room for developing these characters beyond the basic outline. Viewers more or less know the basic ideas of their backstories, but not really their specific characters, which might not be a problem for those just looking for balls-to-the-wall action. However, it might have helped to make this film stick in the mind a bit more. With The Sisterhood, there was real potential to develop a genuine sense of camaraderie, but the film never truly opens up to that idea, which feels like a missed opportunity considering the film’s clear feminist ideas.

The ending also feels messy, like it didn’t properly gel with the rest of the film as it almost felt like the ending was improperly stitched onto the rest of the movie, almost arbitrary in a sense.

As a film. Gunpowder Milkshake successfully delivers a pretty basic cinematic sugar rush but for those in need of a cinematic sugar rush, it will more than likely go down well.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Gabe Guarin

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