‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ Review: All Too Familiar, Far Too Unsubstantial
Navot Papushado’s Gunpowder Milkshake forgets that story and character should come first before trying to expand the universe.
Within mere seconds of opening, Navot Papushado’s “Gunpowder Milkshake” already establishes itself as the next Wick-esque franchise; setting up its version of a seedy underground world by presenting “The Firm” - a shady organization run by a shady group of men who do shady business. Its main protagonist, Sam (Karen Gillan), is an assassin who is tasked to retrieve a suitcase full of stolen money. When the mission goes awry, The Firm now sends out another group of assassins whose leader (Ralph Ineson)’s needs to exact revenge against Sam and take her out for… reasons unknown. It’s a movie so desperate to impress with its massive world-building, neon-colored action sequences and needle drops it almost forgets the most important element to keep their viewers engaged right from the get-go: a compelling (and simple) story.
2014’s “John Wick” had a rather clichéd but simple story, ias a result of that storyline, directors David Leitch & Chad Stahelski were able to construct Wick’s underground world of “The Continental” and further expand it in its subsequent instalments. Gunpowder Milkshake wants to get straight to that point, which sacrifices important character and story development in favor of a bad cinematic universe expansion instead. Here’s the problem, though: the film has no basis for a cinematic universe when their characters aren’t properly introduced and developed. All we know is that Sam is an assassin and that she followed the footsteps of her mother (Lena Headey), who she hasn’t seen for 15 years, due to her last mission going wrong (of course). As Sam and Emily (Coleman) need to lay low, audiences can predict beat for beat what is going to happen, who they are going to run into, and how the story is going to unravel.
Everything regarding plot and world-building is so paper-thin that it becomes very hard for the viewer to want to invest themselves in the film’s world. All audiences know is that The Firm is responsible for dark clandestine dealings, where dapper gentlemen (including an ever-so-iconic Paul Giamatti) conduct business, and wear specifically tailored suits derivative of any of these recent films that show such an organization. The audience has no idea what it is they do exactly and how they operate the underground, compared to The Continental, in John Wick, which acts as a front for members of the criminal underworld and hitmen. In Gunpowder Milkshake, The Firm is a discount version of this, with a diner serving these assassins with their own set of rules, and a library giving out guns to members of the “sisterhood”, hidden in books. This Sisterhood, the library, and the Diner is never explained in any detail, and suspension of disbelief can only be stretched so far.
The library is where you’ll find a rather dark joke, with weapons being hidden inside self-help books, including Tony Robbins’ “Awaken the Giant Within” and Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. The joke being you can, unfortunately, take control of your “mental. emotional, physical and financial destiny” by using the weapon found in these self-help books, which Sam and the members of the sisterhood will do multiple times during the film’s innumerably chaotic action sequences. None of the action sequences have an ounce of emotional weight or catharsis to them, save for one. It happens near the end of the film, choreographed to the sweet sounds of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart”, which beautifully complements its ultra-violence and luscious cinematography from Michael Seresin and the actors’ movements in the frame, either using a mini-gun, knives, hammers, shotguns, the whole nine yards. Audiences get to experience real bad-assery from Gillan, Headey, and the trio of Sisterhood members (Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh, and Carla Gugino). All three members of the sisterhood are far more interesting side characters than Sam and Scarlet, with Bassett and Yeoh being the real standouts of the picture. Yeoh’s tenure in this film is highly reminiscent of her work in “Tomorrow Never Dies”, which is the highest of compliments as her role is sorely overlooked often in the Bond canon, and that film is severely underrated.
It’s unfortunate for Gillan, who’s a skillful actress and showcases her action movie talents here (she might be better suited for a Bond flick herself), but her character isn’t gripping; a testament to the aforementioned weak writing. Sacrificing character development for quasi-exposition on The Firm was not a good idea, as emotional attachment to Sam (and Scarlet) seems very distant. It’s also unfortunate that every action sequence that isn’t scored to Janis Joplin is haphazardly shot and choreographed, with glossy neon colors and cheap jump cuts permeating the frame, instead of kinetic movements with guns and knives (like in John Wick) to bring much-needed life and excitement to the film. The score also feels terribly distant to the film’s pop setting, with a synthesized riff of Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti westerns taking quick hold of its main action set-pieces and never allows room to breathe for the actors and the movements they perform inside the film’s bloody set-pieces.
It’s the charm of actors such as Bassett, Yeoh, Headey, and Giamatti that saves Gunpowder Milkshake from being more undercooked than it already is. Instead of needlessly trying to set up the film’s sequel (Studiocanal revealed there would be one) and expand its world right from the get-go, why not explore the characters first and write an enthralling story before trying to think about potential sequel ideas. Perhaps the sequel will be better, but after viewing the film, the studios might be wise to rethink their plan.