When 2014's John Wick debuted, the Keanu Reeves-starring film was praised not just for its impeccably timed action sequences, but for the intricate world in which the film's assassins lived. The Continental -- and its societal rules governed by The High Table -- was as much of a character in the film as its hired guns.
Netflix's Gunpowder Milkshake leans into this precedent with its world of women assassins working for The Firm, while single-handily besting John Wick's worldbuilding with neon-coated joy and as much sweetness as blood. While the film will inevitably be compared to John Wick and Kill Bill, it stands apart from both by centering its premise on a mission full of heart -- protecting 8-and-3/4-year-old Emily (Chloe Coleman) -- and showing its badass antihero Sam (Karen Gillan) relying on the help of other women, a trio called The Librarians.
Directed by Navot Papushado and co-written by Ehud Lavski and Papushado, Gunpowder Milkshake hinges its two-hour runtime of gun-wielding action not on revenge killing, but on the promise of redemption. After being abandoned by her assassin mother Scarlet (Lena Headey), Sam is left in the care of The Firm's Nathan (Paul Giamatti) and is raised to be an assassin. Things become a bit complicated, however, when she refuses to finish a mission -- in favor of saving Emily -- and kills one of The Firm executives' sons in the process.
Gunpowder Milkshake's setting is cleverly built around The Firm's safe havens, which roots the viewers fully in Sam's world -- so much so that it's easy to forget what the real world is doing. The film opens in a 50s style diner, aptly named The Diner, which works as a conference room for The Firm. There's a Firm-owned hospital with staff well-versed in gun wound care. There's even a library that works as an armory where one can take out a "book," aka a gun. Each location has codes -- verbal and societal -- for assassins to follow.
This film departs from conventions like The Continental in its safe havens, which are primarily watched by women. Even if The Firm is run entirely by white men, it's the women who are trained to kill and ensure the guns, the dying and the customers behave themselves. It subverts the male-dominated assassin genre by suggesting its women ensure things keep running. The women are the powerful cleanup crew.
At its core, the film is as much about assassin Sam finding redemption as it is about her forgiving her mother. Headey's Scarlet kills with as much verve as audiences saw in her performance as Game of Thrones' Cersei, but mixed with delicately timed quippy humor and an emotional depth that makes it impossible to look away. Her wit plays well against Sam, who embodies the same stoic killer sensibilities as Guardians of the Galaxy's Nebula, but with much less restraint -- joyfully leaning into the action's playfulness and Headey's motherly proddings.
Agel Aurélia (Black Widow) acts as Gillen's stunt double, and it's a marvel to watch how Aurélia moves in demanding scenes; for instance, when Sam is paralyzed and needs to fight with only select parts of her body. Stunt coordinator Volkhart Buff throws in a couple of loving Kill Bill nods, including a bowling alley fight sequence equipped with composer Haim Frank Ilfman's whistling score, while also crafting some amazingly unique sequences. Using a mix of unsuspecting props like a child's backpack handle and bowling balls mixed with chains, machetes and a gun turret, Buff's wide-shot, panning work bounces off the wall with fun, but never leans away from brutality.
The real MVPs of this film are, of course, The Librarians: the demure, Mary Poppins-like Madeleine (Carla Gugino); the ever-watchful and clever Florence (Michelle Yeoh); and the no-nonsense and jaded Anna May (Angela Bassett). While some viewers might want the A-list trio of assassins to be deployed sooner to help Sam and Emily, it's entirely worth the wait when they are. Set to Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart," there's a final act showdown starring the trio that lives up to the hyped legacy the film attaches to them. It also ensures that martial arts film legend Yeoh has plenty of chances to seamlessly strike from the shadows.
Perhaps the only setback for Gunpowder Milkshake is the teased, potentially romantic relationship between Anna May and Scarlet. However, with a sequel already in development, it's entirely possible that their story is waiting in the wings of the film's second act.
Gunpowder Milkshake releases on Netflix on June 14 and hits theaters internationally this summer.