Movie Review: Gunpowder Milkshake

Within the first few scenes of Gunpowder Milkshake- the latest from Israeli B-movie filmmaker Navot Papushado that just arrived on Netflix in the US- it establishes itself as arguably the most pure descendent of John Wick yet. Gunpowder Milkshake's tale of a second generation elite assassin (Karen Gillan) who reluctantly reaches out to her estranged mother (Lena Headey) and the members of her old organization (Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh, Carla Gugino) after a botched job puts her in the crosshairs of multiple prominent groups of trained killers and she's forced to go on the run with the daughter (Chloe Coleman) of a slain target does the bare minimum from a storytelling perspective, and instead lets the bloody action, neon-tinged noir atmosphere and magnetism of the cast lead the way. 

While not without its rough patches-particularly when it decides to dive into the mother/daughter separation subplot in the middle of the film-this style over substance strategy mostly pays off. Papushado boasts a great feel for pacing as well as a sharp visual eye, the leading ladies develop a pretty great group dynamic in a chaotic setting that doesn't allow for many character moments and the kinetic action sequences are infused with a refreshing amount of creativity (in terms of both situations the characters are put in and the weapons they use) and humor. Outside of Nobody, Gunpowder Milkshake is the most satisfying action thriller of 2021 to date that will hopefully go down as just the first of many standouts to be released during this unusually active July-September period for the genre.   

Grade: B+