'Gunpowder Milkshake': Is the Netflix action film heavily inspired by 'John Wick'?
‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ is one of the highly-anticipated movies of the summer and fans cannot wait to see the movie packed with hi-octane action sequences. The upcoming Netflix movie revolves around a woman named Sam (Karen Gillan), who was separated from her mother at a very young age and was raised by The Firm. The Firm is a crime syndicate for which her mom, Scarlet (Lena Headey), used to work for.
Fifteen years later, we see Sam becoming an assassin herself and doing all the dirty work for the organization. However, everything changes when an assignment goes wrong and she has to choose between serving The Firm or protecting the life of an 8-year-old girl –Emily (Chloe Coleman). The only thing that can save her is reuniting with her mother and some badass female assassins known as The Librarians. They should learn to trust each other and stand up against The Firm so that nothing is taken away from them.
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The entire premise of the movie perfectly sets up a perfect revenge film with female assassins at the front. Apart from Gillan and Headey, we have superstars like Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh and Carla Gugino attached to the project. The trailer of the movie is a treat for everyone. I mean, not every day we see a team of badass women beating the hell out of bad guys.
However, as soon as the trailer dropped, comparisons also arose. Fans believed that the movie looks really similar to Keanu Reeves’s blockbuster action movie franchise ‘John Wick’. The premise of both movies is somewhat similar. In ‘John Wick’, Reeves plays the titular role of a former hitman who returns to the underworld he fought to leave behind. The protagonist goes against the same organization that he was working for in the past and is merciless in killing and hiding bodies.
In ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’, Gillan also goes against The Firm, an organization that she was a part of for so many years. Another thing that seems to be similar is the characters. One of the best parts of the ‘John Wick’ franchise is the kind of world that has been built around the titular character. The action movie is not just about the ‘Speed’ star going around and killing people, there is also an entire world of underground assassins that slowly reveal themselves. It seems ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ is also like that and it will be more than just a regular action flick.
Apart from the premise, another thing that is really similar is the style of action. Reeves in ‘John Wick’ is shown as this stylish hitman who wears Armani suits while going on a killing spree. On the other hand, Gillan’s character is also seen as someone who loves to wear good dresses while fighting the bad guys. Also, a lot of codenames and secret society kinds of things are a major part of the projects.
These are not just any kind of predictions that we are making, you can see the trailer and you’ll get to know the similarity. Also, the leading star of the movie Karen Gillen has also said that the movie is a mixture of ‘John Wick’ and ‘Kill Bill’. In a recent interview, the ‘Avengers: Infinity Star’ said that the movie exists in a “fairly similar world to ‘John Wick’.” She also noticed that the movie has a “level of Tarantino feel to it.”
Tarantino is known for making such action movies that are brutal in many ways. The ‘Kill Bill’ franchise by Tarantino is one of the best revenge movies ever made and had a female assassin as the movie’s central character. With Navot Papushado, the director of ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’, already saying that Tarantino was one of his inspirations, we might some really stylish action and brutal killings in the upcoming film as well.
‘John Wick’ added a new flavor to a genre that had assassins as the film’s central character. After the success of the first movie in the franchise, it opened doors for other filmmakers to attempt movies like this as well and Papushado can do something like that with ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’.
It has been almost four years that fans haven’t seen a group of female assassins fighting the baddies and killing them without showing any remorse. If the movie works out well, it can pave the way for a franchise that might become bigger than ‘John Wick’. The stylized version of fight sequences and the star-studded cast make ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ a must-watch.
It will be amazing if Reeves would later make an entry into the franchise with a cameo or collaborate for a movie. That would be a nightmare for all the bad guys and the happiest day for all the fans. Keeping my fingers crossed for this to happen.
‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ arrives on Netflix on Wednesday, July 14.