Reviews by:
@ryan_the_nixon
RATE THIS MOVIE
6
5
4
3
2021
15
Director: Navot Papushado
Starring: Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, Paul Giamatti, Angela Bassett, Chloe Coleman etc.
In her turbulent life as a professional assassin, Scarlet was cruelly forced to abandon her daughter Sam and go on the run. Years later, despite the estrangement, Sam has also grown up into a cold blooded hitwoman. After a high stake mission spins out of control, putting an innocent 8 year old girl in the middle of the gang war she has unleashed, Sam has no choice but to go rogue. This ultimately leads her back to her mother and her former hitwoman sidekicks, who all join forces in an avenging war against those who took everything from them. This film is very flawed, but I was consistently entertained and never bored.
My first few positives would be the great set up and cinematography. As well as the strong gore and action. Plus the great linked plot points and fun tone. The set up with Sam and mother was strong in terms of introducing us to their relationship and the premise of the movie. And was an effective way of introducing us to Sam as a character which reflected nicely into how she was in the present. I also thought that the set locations and the cinematography of the film was great. The use of neon and bright colours gave the film a fun and distinct visual style that was interesting and visually attractive. I also thought the gore and action was very strong. The film didn't hold back with its use of gore, the action sequences were hard hitting, entertaining and thrilling to watch and were inventive therefore matching the tone of the film. The film's tone was very unique, it never took itself too seriously and played around a lot with the fun characters and action that it established itself as something different compared to films similar to this. Plus the linked plot points with how Sam behaved like her mother were clever making their eventual reunion that much more satisfying to watch.
However, I did have a fair amount of issues with the movie. The character background felt rushed, and the structure and pacing was very messy. With underdeveloped plot points and an unneeded ending. I would have liked more set up and background into Sam and the relationship with her mother. To me, it felt rushed and it lacked that emotional connection that would have helped me connect with the characters a lot better. I also thought the structure and pacing was very messy. It was constantly rushing through scenes leaving so many things underdeveloped and not explained often making the film very manic and as polished as it could have been. There was so many underdeveloped plot points and characters that were either introduced but never really developed, or characters especially the villains that felt very under utilised. Finally, the ending felt unneeded and the movie didn't know when to stop. It just kept on going and ended multiple times when it didn't need to keep going and it lost its impact slightly.
My final few positives would be the high stakes. Great performances and chemistry between the cast. As well as some great humour, a fantastic soundtrack and a fun final act. The film managed to have surprisingly high stakes for the characters, particularly with Sam and the cooperation she was working for, it made the film more intense and engaging. I also thought the performances from the whole cast were great and they all had really fun chemistry with each other. Karen Gillan delivered an excellent lead performance, and Chloe Coleman proved that she is a very talented young actress. I also thought the humour was great, the film was often very absurd and out there with its humour but I loved that, it gave a fresh and fun feel to the movie and the soundtrack added even more fun humour. Finally, the final act was a lot of fun. It was brutal and violent and all the actors involved looked like they were really enjoying themselves. With a sequel left open which I would like to see.
Overall, Gunpowder Milkshake struggles to keep up with its own plot and suffers from a lacklustre script. But the stylish visual style, fantastic chemistry between the cast and the wild and absurd tone makes the film a very entertaining watch even if the quality isn't as good as it could be.
Overall rating 71/100.
RATE THIS REVIEW
6
5
4
3
Comments