Director Navot Papushado made a splash at genre festivals worldwide when he co-directed his first movie “Rabies” in 2010, which was pushed as the “first feature-length Israeli horror film.”
His third feature also marks his English-language debut and he rounded up an incredible cast of kick-ass women for an ultraviolent tale of revenge.
“Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Jumanji” star Karen Gillan takes the lead as Sam, a top-notch assassin who has followed in her mother’s footsteps. She works for “The Firm” (led by a wonderfully grumpy Paul Giamatti) and is hired to kill a man who has stolen from them.
Shortly after shooting him in the stomach, she discovers he has an 8-year-old daughter named Emily who has been kidnapped (hence, the stolen goods to get her back). This gives Sam a rare moment of regret and she begins down a path to redeem herself that puts her on the wrong side of men who work with her boss.
It also turns out that she previously killed the son of a very powerful henchman from another criminal empire and it doesn’t take long before every step she takes is leading her towards people who want to take her out.
Sam turns to the only people who can help her, three women who used to work with her mother Scarlet (Lena Headey, “Game Of Thrones”).
Anna (Angela Bassett), Florence (Michelle Yeoh), and Madeleine (Carla Gugino) operate a weapons warehouse disguised as a library. Despite their initial skepticism, they come on board to help save the day.
Let’s be clear, this is a movie where you simply turn your brain off for 2 hours. There is no need to work out a lot of plot elements, it’s simply non-stop explosions and wall-to-wall candy-colored carnage. It also has a hell of a soundtrack. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the likes of Stereolab and Mercury Rev along the way.
Make this a double feature with “Nobody” and get ready for the inevitable sequel, which is already in development.
“Gunpowder Milkshake” is streaming now on Netflix in the United States and Canada. It is also playing in a handful of theaters, including Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema where he got his hands on a 35mm print to run on the big screen this weekend.
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