''Gunpowder Milkshake'' is a 2021

action thriller Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

film directed by

Navot Papushado Navot Papushado ( he, נבות פפושדו; born 4 March 1980) is an Israeli film director and screenwriter. Early life Papushado was born in Haifa, Israel, to a Sephardic Jewish family. He resided in the northern Galilee community settlement ...

, with a script co-written by Papushado and Ehud Lavski. The film stars

Karen Gillan Karen Sheila Gillan (; born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction seri ...

as a young hitwoman who must team up with her estranged mother (

Lena Headey Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is a British actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO epic fantasy drama series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she re ...

) and her former colleagues (

Carla Gugino Carla Gugino (; born August 29, 1971) is an American actress. After appearing in ''Troop Beverly Hills'' (1989) and ''This Boy's Life'' (1993), she received recognition for her starring roles as Ingrid Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' trilogy (2001� ...

Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...

, and

Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...

) in order to save a young girl (

Chloe Coleman Chloe Coleman (born December 2008) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films '' My Spy'', ''Gunpowder Milkshake'', and '' Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves'' Career Coleman made her acting debut at the age of 5 i ...

) from rival assassins led by head of the HR department for The Firm, Nathan (

Paul Giamatti Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor and film producer. He first garnered attention for his breakout role in '' Private Parts'' as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, leading to supporting roles in ''Saving Private R ...

). The film's production was announced at the

American Film Market The American Film Market (AFM) is a film industry event held each year in early November. Historically, more than 7,000 people attend the eight-day annual event to network and to sell, finance and acquire films. Participants come from more than ...

in 2018. Casting announcements were made throughout 2019, starting with Gillan in January, and

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

took place from June to August 2019 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. It is a co-production between

The Picture Company The Picture Company is an entertainment company founded in 2014, by Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman. It specializes in film, starting off moderately in 2018 with Jaume Collet-Serra's '' The Commuter'' and Albert Hughes' ''Alpha''. History Founding ...

Babelsberg Studio Babelsberg Film Studio (german: Filmstudio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the second oldest large-scale film studio in the world only preceded by the Danish Nordisk Film (est. 1906), producing films since ...

and

StudioCanal StudioCanal S.A.S. (formerly known as Le Studio Canal+, Canal Plus, Canal+ Distribution, Canal+ D.A., Canal+ Production, and Canal+ Image and also known as StudioCanal International) is a French film production and distribution company that owns ...

's German branch with the participation of French television channels

Canal+ Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

and

Ciné+ Ciné+ is a set of thematic pay television channels broadcasting movies. They are published by MultiThématiques (Canal+ Group) and are distributed by the CanalSat satellite TV as well as cable and ADSL via Numericable CANALSATDSL. Channels broa ...

. ''Gunpowder Milkshake'' was released in the United States on July 14, 2021, by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

with a

simultaneous Simultaneity may refer to: * Relativity of simultaneity, a concept in special relativity. * Simultaneity (music), more than one complete musical texture occurring at the same time, rather than in succession * Simultaneity, a concept in Endogenei ...

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

. It was released theatrically by

in France on July 21, and in Germany on December 2, 2021. The film received mixed reviews from critics. A sequel is in development.

Plot

In a flashback at a diner, twelve-year-old Sam learns that her assassin mother, Scarlet, is skipping town after a job gone wrong. Armed men arrive to kill Scarlet, but she kills them and escapes, leaving an upset Sam behind to be cared for by Nathan. Fifteen years later, Sam works as an assassin for Nathan, the human resources head for the same firm Scarlet worked for. Nathan gives Sam a new job, killing a man who stole money from The Firm and returning the money. Sam goes to a weapons armory disguised as a library to exchange her weapons for new ones. There, she meets Anna May, Madeleine, and Florence - three former accomplices of Scarlet. They consider killing her for showing up unannounced, but change their minds when they learn her identity. They provide her with clean weapons for the job. Sam infiltrates a hotel room to retrieve the stolen money and shoots the man responsible in the abdomen when he lunges for his ringing phone. Listening in on the call, she learns that he stole the money to save his kidnapped young daughter and must bring it to a nearby bowling alley to exchange for her. Sam takes him to a firm-affiliated private doctor for treatment and agrees to handle the exchange herself. Nathan learns of her plan and sends three henchmen to stop her and retrieve the money; Sam incapacitates them before continuing with her plan. Masked men give her the girl, Emily, before retreating with the money; Sam pursues them, but the men turn on one another, resulting in their deaths and the destruction of the stolen money. Meanwhile, Nathan learns that one of the henchmen Sam killed in an earlier job was the son of Jim McAlister, the head of a powerful criminal empire. To avoid conflict, Nathan gives up Sam's information and location to be killed. Sam returns to the doctor to reunite Emily with her father, but they learn that he did not survive. Nathan's three henchmen are also at the doctor seeking treatment for their prior fight and they receive orders to kill her. The doctor injects Sam with a serum that renders her arms useless. Sam asks Emily to tape a knife and a gun to her hands and she uses them to fight and kill the three henchmen. More henchmen arrive, but Sam and Emily escape in Sam's car, with Emily steering and Sam working the pedals. Sam receives a text from Nathan, giving her the address to a

safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor. Histori ...

where she can find supplies to help her escape. She and Emily travel there and run into Scarlet, who reveals she has been watching Sam from afar for 15 years. When henchmen arrive to kill Sam, Scarlet guides them through a hidden escape route. They manage to escape and return to the library, where the librarians angrily demand why Scarlet never tried to contact them when she disappeared. They are interrupted by arriving gunmen. Sam attempts to hold them off, but, after she is overpowered, Scarlet intervenes to save her. The librarians consider fleeing with Emily, but they decide to join the fight. All the gunmen are killed except for Virgil, Jim McAlister's nephew, who kills Madeleine and kidnaps Emily. Virgil calls Sam, who offers to turn herself in at the diner in exchange for Emily's freedom. Sam arrives to meet Jim McAlister who explains that his late son had four older sisters that Jim could not relate to as he does not understand women. Jim intends to torture Sam and make Emily watch, but Scarlet, Anna May, and Florence arrive with guns to free them. Sam takes Emily and leaves the diner before the three women kill Jim and all his henchmen. Sometime later, Sam apologizes to Emily for killing her father and Emily forgives her. Emily goes to Nathan's home disguised as a Girl Scout. Sam threatens his life unless he returns to The Firm and calls off the hit on her. Sam, Emily, Scarlet, Anna May, and Florence then drive down the coast together.

Cast

as Sam, a master assassin working for The Firm, and Scarlet's daughter **

Freya Allan Freya Allan (born 6 September 2001) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Princess Cirilla of Cintra in the Netflix series ''The Witcher''. She also appears as young Sam in the 2021 film ''Gunpowder Milkshake'' and as the yo ...

as young Sam *

as Scarlet, Sam's estranged mother and former leader of the sisterhood of assassins *

as Madeleine, a member of the sisterhood of assassins *

as Emily, a young girl Sam protects after killing her father *

Ralph Ineson Ralph Michael Ineson (; born 15 December 1969) is an English actor and narrator. Known for his deep, rumbling, Yorkshire-accented voice, his most notable roles include William in ''The Witch'', Dagmer Cleftjaw in '' Game of Thrones'', Amycus Ca ...

as Jim McAlester, the leader of a powerful crime organization *

Adam Nagaitis Adam Matthew Nagaitis (; born 7 June 1985) is a British actor best known for his roles as Caulker's Mate Cornelius Hickey in the AMC television series ''The Terror'' and firefighter Vasily Ignatenko in the HBO miniseries ''Chernobyl''. Nagait ...

as Virgil, McAlester's nephew and a master assassin *

Michael Smiley Michael Smiley (born 1963) is a Northern Irish comedian and actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the films ''Kill List'' (2011) and ''The Lobster'' (2015). Early life Smiley was born in 1963 in Belfast and grew up in Holywood with a ...

as Dr. Ricky, the chief of a secret clinic for assassins *

as Florence, a member of the sisterhood of assassins *

as Anna May, a member of the sisterhood of assassins *

as Nathan, head of the HR department for The Firm, and Sam's adoptive father Additionally, Samuel Anderson appears as David, Emily's father,

Ivan Kaye Ivan Blakeley Kaye (born 1 July 1961) is an English actor and producer. His international fame came with roles in historical drama shows like the Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan in all three seasons of ''The Borgias (2011 TV series), The Borgias' ...

plays Yankee, the leader of the assassins sent by The Firm after Sam. David Burnell IV and Jack Bandeira complete the group as Shocker and Crow while Mai Duong Kieu portrays a nurse at Dr. Ricky's clinic.

Production

The project was announced during the annual

in April 2018, with

and

procuring the rights to the film. In January 2019,

was cast in the film. In February,

was cast, with

joining in April, and

and

joining in May. In June 2019,

and

joined the cast of the film. Filming began on June 3, 2019, and finished on August 20, 2019, in Berlin.

Music

On December 16, 2019, it was announced that

Frank Ilfman Haim Frank Ilfman ( he, חיים פרנק אילפמן; born March 18, 1970) is an Israeli award-winning composer. He studied trombone and piano at the ''Jaffa Conservatorium of Music'' in Tel Aviv and as a young teenager was playing lead trom ...

was hired to compose the film's score. The score album was released on July 14, 2021, by

Milan Records Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan boasts an extensive electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases ...

Release

Netflix and theatrical

In February 2020, STXfilms acquired distribution rights to the film in the United States. In April 2021,

bought the American distribution rights from STXfilms. ''Gunpowder Milkshake'' was released on Netflix in the United States, Canada, and the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...

on July 14, 2021. In the United States, it also received a

. It was the most watched film of the week in the country upon its release, according to Nielsen. The film was released theatrically by

in France on July 21, 2021. In Germany, the film was originally scheduled for release on September 2 but it was postponed and was later released on December 2, 2021.

Sky Cinema Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on ...

released the film simultaneously with the theatrical release in the United Kingdom and Ireland on September 17, 2021.

Home media

''Gunpowder Milkshake'' was released in France digitally on October 21, 2021, and on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

, and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

on November 3 by

with distribution handled by Universal Pictures Vidéo France. On television, the film premiered on

on January 22, 2022, and was released simultaneously on

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

on MyCanal. In Germany, the film was released on April 14, 2022, on

Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Bl ...

, Blu-ray, and DVD by StudioCanal with distribution handled by

Koch Media Plaion (formerly Koch Media) is a German-Austrian media company headquartered in Höfen, Tyrol, Austria, with an operating subsidiary based in Planegg, Germany. The company was founded in 1994 by Franz Koch and Klemens Kundratitz. The company ...

Reception

Box office

The film has grossed a worldwide total of $1,015,760. In France, ''Gunpowder Milkshake'' was released alongside '' Kaamelott: The First Chapter'', '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', ''

Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

'' and ''

Spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Nomadland ''Nomadland'' is a 2020 American drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Chloé Zhao. Based on the 2017 nonfiction book '' Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century'' by Jessica Bruder, it stars Frances McDormand ...

'' ($70,923 in its seventh week). In France, the film grossed only $76,803 during its theatrical run.

Critical response

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 60% based on 164 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Though it runs dangerously close to being a pure sugar rush with no substance, ''Gunpowder Milkshake'' is a brutal blast that will absorb audiences into its neon infused universe." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, it has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and stated, "If you're going to do an insanely over-the-top, deeply stylized, bullet-riddled and female-centric riff on the "John Wick" movies, you might as well give it a fantastically ridiculous title." Cody Corrall of the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

'' gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars and stated, "The emotional highs and lows never really level out, and the special effects feel more schlocky and dated than overtly stylistic, but ''Gunpowder Milkshake'' manages to corral a dynamic roster of performers to have fun and blow shit up."

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' gave the film a positive review and stated, "It's the sort of movie that inspires that ultimate discerning critical comment: It's a movie you'll like if you like this sort of thing." Benjamin Lee of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and stated, "The film is a little jarring at times, as unreal as a video game but perhaps best taken as one, its cartoonish flourishes then easier to allow." John Anderson of ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' gave the film a positive review and stated, "Not everyone's cup of mayhem, assuredly. As compensation for the busy visuals, the storyline will be a comfortable one, especially to fans of '' La Femme Nikita'', '' Léon: The Professional'', ''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

'' and any number of large-caliber ancestors." Caroline Siede of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' gave the film a B and stated, "The novelty of watching the film's impressive female ensemble bounce off one another never wears off, even if ''Gunpowder Milkshake'' feels like it only ever scratches the surface of what each of its leads can do."

Sequel

On April 30, 2021, ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...

'' announced that

and

were working on a sequel. On July 6, 2021, StudioCanal confirmed during a special presentation for its 30th anniversary in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

that a sequel is officially in development.

Notes

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 8368408 2020s English-language films 2021 action thriller films 2021 crime action films 2021 crime thriller films American action thriller films American crime action films American crime thriller films Babelsberg Studio films English-language Netflix original films English-language French films English-language German films Films about contract killing Films shot in Berlin French action thriller films French crime action films French crime thriller films German action thriller films German crime action films German crime thriller films Girls with guns films 2020s female buddy films StudioCanal films STX Entertainment films 2020s American films 2020s French films