Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Action movies often have heart nowadays, with a hardened, badass killer coming to terms with what it’s like to a human being again. However, few have the same level of heart that Gunpowder Milkshake has, and it’s not because it’s some kind of mushy, softened action film, because it certainly isn’t. I’m saying it because this movie is just having a grand ol’ time, and we’re just lucky to come along with it.
Gunpowder Milkshake is about an assassin named Sam. Sam likes cute things, values fun, and is pretty consistently causing problems for The Firm, a shadowy organization that runs the world. She’s one of their best, but she’s also just kind of flighty and makes decisions on the fly that don’t always gel with what The Firm wants. While doing a job, she learns that someone who recently stole a load of money from The Firm only did it because their daughter has been kidnapped. Though Sam’s already wounded the guy, she decides that she can’t possibly let the girl die just because she shot her dad, so she goes to save her. In doing so, the money gets destroyed, and The Firm decides that enough is enough.
Thus, the movie kicks off a John Wick chase scene that sees Sam trying to keep herself and the little girl safe, as well as her reconciling with her mother and the group of kickass ladies she was a member of called The Librarians. It’s a girl power, gunsmoke-filled thrill ride, and what helps it stand above the rest for me is just how damned charming it is.
Sam is introduced immediately watching a cutesy TV show in an anime long sleeve, curled up on the couch and eating cereal. There’s numerous times where Sam goes out of her way to do something that’s more fun or that she likes more. Early on, she’s told to put on a specific set of clothes, so as to prove that she isn’t wired or anything like that. Instead, she opts to break a case containing an orange, shimmering bowling jacket, because she likes it more. She is so much of a character, and it’s even better that Karen Gillan (of Nebula fame, or Doctor Who, for some) plays her almost entirely straight. She nearly never cracks a smile or acknowledges just how peppy and bright she is on the inside.
Her mom is played by Lena Headey, who rocks it as an older assassin gal. Instead of being the “getting too old for this” type, she’s instead the “I’ve done this a thousand times” type, and thus is just as capable as her younger, springier daughter. The Librarians are all also played by older badass ladies, with Carla Gugino, Angela Bassett, and Michelle Yeoh all running as aging, unique killers, each with their own set of abilities that they showcase before the film is finished. The entire final third of the movie is where the training wheels come off and all of the women get to show why they can roll with the big boys just fine, and even without the overarching feminist themes, it would still be awesome to watch.
Ahh, how wholesome it is to see mother and daughter, just spending some quality time together.
I think what this movie does is something that more movies need to do - it just allows things to be fun. In Kate, the titular character had only one cute quirk, her obsession with the drink Boom-Boom Lemon. In this movie, Sam is practically constructed entirely out of such quirks. She doesn’t do anything boring if she can instead do it fun. She is exceptionally good at her job, but almost seems to just be doing it out of muscle memory rather than pure skill. Instead, she’s much more concerned with the moment to moment, little things. She likes bright colors and poppy visuals, and even delivers a load of guns in a bright yellow “I ♥ Kittens” duffel. She is, in fact, a character outside of being an assassin.
I feel like this type of movie needs to grow beyond just this single film. The only other movie that had this sort of protagonist, as far as I can remember at least, is Shoot ‘Em Up, where the protagonist is just a straight up weirdo who happens to be good at killing. Funnily enough, both this movie and that one had Paul Giamatti… Huh. Anyway, the point I’m making is that the days of the cold, stoic assassin may not be numbered per se, but there’s room for another sort of hero like this one. We’ve has our Salt and our John Wick and our Kate. Make way for more Gunpowder Milkshake.
The visual style in this movie is also very unique. Colors are fairly saturated, and some scenes are color-graded in such a way that they almost come across as comic book panels. No boring angles are used when more creative and engaging ones could be used instead. The action is never very over the top, but it is often creative, such as an early fight where Sam has to fight without having full control of her arms. These types of situations are fun, and instead of being played a these bitter, drag-out fights that you see in many modern action flicks, they’re instead made to be enjoyable and charming.
Charming is honestly the best word for this film. It does a lot of clichés, but evolves those clichés to be almost self-referential. They know that they’re making a slick action flick, and acts as such. The characters talk in tropey ways, but also crack jokes and have casual discussions in decidedly UNcasual situations. It gives the sense that the actors are having a good time themselves, and that can reflect on the film in a positive way through their performance.
If I say “fun” anymore times, I’ll seem like I have a bad vocabulary, but it really is the best way to describe this one. I recommend it a lot, partially because the plot is good and involves some decent twists and turns, and also because…
Well, because it’s fun.
