IR Film Review: GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE [Netflix]
When "Gunpowder Milkshake" was first announcedin the trades, the aspect of this cast, and a female led action picture shot in Berlin just seemed like a fantastic idea. And for the most part, it is. The tone is an interesting meld though between a heightened would-be R rated Coen Brothers film (with not as good a script), some visual cinema language along the lines of Sonnenfeld and a little bit of "John Wick" thrown in for good measure. though not on the level of that franchiise (having your stunt guy be the director helps), "Gunpowder Milkshake" does hit right on many cylinders, most specifically with Karen Gillan in the lead. She brings an unusual energy that is not hardened yet utterly danegrous nontheless. The Jumanji films were a different PG-13 universe as was "Star Trek" and Marvel. Here she is allowed to be morally in a way bereft and yet have a meaning in an R rated world.
Most of the film's action sequences hit right except for an early one which is an odd thing. In that one taking place in a bowling alley, none of the hits, except the last one ever seem to hit. It is as if they are just dancing. But after that, even into an all-out gun hallway battle (with the same participants) is done in a beautiful way. It is because of the character's hold backs or handicaps (if you will), especially Gillan, that the pace begins to start firing and doesn't let up. An underground driving sequence is thrilling, specifically again in its repoistioning of what is being done. Chloe Coleman, interesting in "My Spy" opposite Dave Bautista, fits right in with this groupp while still playing to her assigned role (though you never quite feel she is any danger).
The women at the library played by the trifecta of Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh and Carla Gugino is just a great casting coup no matter which way you cut it. They are an ode because it is Gillan's movie but she understands that these ladies paved the way. Lena Headey, almost unrecognizable earlier in the movie, takes on the role of Gillan's mother (which she looks too young to be or the fact that Gillan is just too close to Headey's age). Headey feels more like an older sister but that is not what the dynamic needs to be. Gugino's role of all of them has the most impact and she knows how to play the scene correctly.
There is an ode to "Face Off" in many ways within Gugino's penultimate scene with a great music choice that reverberates throughout the building as well as the connecting scene. The film doesn't shy away from the violence but also revels in its fablistic quality. It is more a ballet than it is a realistic balance but it is also about that "Wick" mentality, the tongue in cheek essence, which is what makes it fun. it doesn't redefine the genre but it is a highlight in that it seems to look what it is doing and all the participants, especially the ladies who dominate every single facet seem to be having a blast. B+
By Tim Wassberg
