"Gunpowder Milkshake": Netflix's "Jane Wick"

Platform: Netflix

Release Date: July 14, 2021

When trailers and previews suggested that this Karen Gillan-led assasin film would essentially be a female-centric “John Wick,” I was turned off by the lack of originality. Not only did the elements of the film already feel well-represented in the cinema world, but the “'John Wick' influence” has already been well overused. However, after a few misses from Netflix's original movies/series, I hoped this would be the film that puts them back on track. While the needle was not pushed further down, "Gunpowder Milkshake" lacked the explosiveness needed to move Netflix back into the good graces of the cinema public.

After being abandoned at twelve years old by her assassin mother, Scarlet (Karen Gillan) was taken in by a member of her mother's organization, The Firm, and grew up to following her mother's footsteps. When a job goes wrong, Scarlet is given one chance to make it right by Nathan (Paul Giamatti), the man that took her in. But when the next job unexpectedly includes the fate of eight and three quarters year old Emily (Chloe Coleman), Sam goes against the best interests of The Firm to save her. With a large target now on her back, Sam enlists help from the sisterhood, a group of “librarians” (assassins) that were led by Sam's mother. Not only is The Firm after Sam, but also another crime family when one of their own is taken out during the job that went wrong. As if dealing with a bunch of guys shooting at you is not enough, Sam must also struggle with the return of her mother, and with protecting a young girl from growing up the same way she did.

By all elements, this was not a very good movie. Flashy, shiny, entertaining at times, the movie had some moments, but as a whole product, it came off like an action spoof. The fight scenes felt equivalent to “Scott Pilgrim”: not meant to be taken seriously and ridiculous to the point of neutralizing interest. Sam is supposed to be a high-level assassin, akin to her mother, but the action sets she is given almost make fun of her as opposed to build her up. All of the antagonists, except maybe Paul Giamatti's Nathan, came off like third tier comic characters. The three assassins The Firm sends to capture and later kill Sam were named Yankee, Crow, and Shocker, but should have just been named Larry, Moe, and Curly. Clearly not trying to copy the rawness of modern action thrillers, it also does not come with much humor either, leaving me confused as to what I am supposed to experience while watching the movie. Not only is there no real emotional tone to the movie in any way, but the exposition was much too frequent to the point that any momentum in the script was quickly squandered.

If there is any comedy to be found, it is in Gillan's interactions with the adorable Chloe Coleman, who already played a very similar role in Amazon Studios' “My Spy”. While she is wasted away in the second half of the movie as a damsel in distress, the first half sees Coleman provide the very few glimpses of hope in her sassy banter and clueless merger into the assassin's life. Being a highlight of the movie, you would think this was a sisterly drama. Adopting plot points and styles from movies like “John Wick” and “Kill Bill,” such as the in-plain-sight assassin organizations, safe spaces, thick blood, and campy violence, lends to this movie feeling like a spoof since it leaned into none of these aspects enough to feel well integrated in the story. Though, to be fair, it does not even lean into its own story enough. There is no understanding of the criminal organizations or structure of the assassin world that plague the protagonist. The characters are left one-dimensional, other than maybe the librarians, and the mother/daughter conflict seems like a throwaway plot thread with no real baring on anything. Hell, I don't even know where this movie is supposed to be taking place.

A corny movie is not necessarily a bad one, but it has to lean into what it is, rather than try to fight against it. But the musical montage fight scenes, lack of urgency in pivotal moments, and “Home Alone”-type beatings are poorly interspersed with a feminist theme that all just goes through the motions. It is a decent popcorn flick that brings absolutely nothing new to the table. Even worse, it really painted Karen Gillan as someone who cannot lead a movie, which is a shame because I don't think she is as bad as this movie set her up to be. I was once excited about Netflix's slew of 2021 original movies that would help make up slack 2020 left, but if films like this and “Awake” are the norm, I will end up wasting quite a bit of my time.

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RATING: 🥤 🥤 🥤 / 5

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