The Gunpowder Milkshake trailer begins with Gillan’s character Sam arriving at a library carrying a yellow duffle bag that has “I heart kittens” written on the side (nice touch). It quickly becomes clear that this isn’t your average library, and the women who work here ain’t your everyday librarians.
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The duffle bag is full of guns and it seems like every book in the library carries a unique weapon used for assassinations, except of course the Agatha Christie novel, which Carla Gugino’s character just thinks is worth reading. Sam then reminisces. Then we’re introduced to Paul Giamatti’s character Nathan, who looks to be the primary antagonist in the film. Nathan seems to either run or be high up in the organization that Sam works for. He mentions that someone has stolen from them and they want her to retrieve the item. Fairly straightforward job, right? Well, not so much. A young girl has been kidnapped and Sam decides to break protocol to save her. She kills the wrong people, according to Nathan, and now they’re coming after her. Things seem dire, that is until Sam is reunited with her mother. The rest of the Gunpowder Milkshake trailer shows off hardcore action, slow-motion shootouts, and utter mayhem as Sam bonds with her estranged mother over their love of murder.
The official Gunpowder Milkshake synopsis reads, “Sam (Gillan) was only 12 years old when her mother Scarlet (Lena Hedley), an elite assassin, was forced to abandon her. Sam was raised by The Firm, the ruthless crime syndicate her mother worked for. Now, 15 years later, Sam has followed in her mother’s footsteps and grown into a fierce hit-woman. But when a high-risk job goes wrong, Sam must choose between serving The Firm and protecting the life of an innocent 8-year-old girl - Emily (Chloe Coleman). With a target on her back, Sam has only one chance to survive: Reunite with her mother and her lethal associates, The Librarians (Michelle Yeoh, Angela Basset, and Carla Gugino).”
Gunpowder Milkshake is just the latest in a trend of high-octane John Wick-inspired action movies. While the John Wick franchise certainly didn’t invent shootouts or assassins, it has inspired a trend of action movies that maintain certain elements of the Keanu Reeves films. This includes, but is not limited to: A badass protagonist who knows their way around a gun and works for some kind of shady organization. They’re usually betrayed in some way or brought out of retirement due to extraneous circumstances. Other recent action movies that follow these trends include 2021’s Nobody, which stars a middle-aged suburban dad played by Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk who is secretly a retired government assassin brought back into the world of killing after a home invasion, and the 2017 film Atomic Blonde, which saw Charlize Theron as a badass Cold War-era MI6 assassin.
Like Atomic Blonde, Gillan’s Gunpowder Milkshake seems to be going for a more female-focused approach. In the past, the action genre has been very male-centric, boasting macho heroes who are usually saving their families from bad guys. In more recent years, there’s been a popular trend of female-centered action movies featuring women in the leading roles as assassins and hit-women. They really should have put this movie out in time for Mother’s day, because the theme of motherhood is laid on thick in this trailer. Regardless, Gunpowder Milkshake should make for an entertaining summer release.
Gunpowder Milkshake is scheduled to be released on July 14, 2021, on Netflix.
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Source: STUDIOCANAL Australia | YouTube
