Gunpowder Milkshake parents guide

Gunpowder Milkshake Parent Guide

The cast is dazzling but the dialogue doesn't measure up.

Overall D+

Netflix: When a professional assassin goes on the run with an innocent eight year old, she uncovers secrets from her mother's past.

Release date July 14, 2021

Violence D
Sexual Content A
Profanity D
Substance Use C

Why is Gunpowder Milkshake rated R? The MPAA rated Gunpowder Milkshake R for strong bloody violence throughout and language

Run Time: 114 minutes

Parent Movie Review

The life of a professional assassin is not an easy one. Scarlet (Lena Headey) learned that the hard way when her work took her away from her young daughter, Sam (Freya Allan). All grown up now, Sam (played by Karen Gillan) has followed in her mother’s footsteps, making a living out of murder. Her last two jobs have gone wrong, though: One ended in a massacre of the relatives of a dangerous rival crime family, and the other saw her involved in a kidnapping gone wrong, resulting in her employer losing a significant amount of money. Wanted by seemingly every criminal in the city, and with the young girl from the kidnapping, Emily (Chloe Coleman), in tow, Sam is in a race against the clock to get away from everyone who’s trying to claim the price on her head. And she won’t be able to do it alone…

I think the best metric for your potential enjoyment of the film is how much you liked Birds of Prey. If you loved Birds of Prey (and don’t mind a slightly lower budget version), then you’re going to love this. It has the same over-the-top violence, heavy stylization, and girl power story. It also has a nearly identical runtime, which isn’t important but which is a fun little coincidence.

The cast here is incredible, with Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh, Carla Gugino, and Paul Giamatti starring in the major roles. But if you can avoid being dazzled by the star power, you might notice that the writing is a little…chunky. I don’t mean that it’s verbose, but it is overblown. The writers aree clearly trying to play with some of the genre clichés, but it’s not consistently successful – or successfully consistent.

The action, on the other hand, is pretty good. It’s not quite up to, say, John Wick standards, but it’s still quite capable. What I especially appreciate is its creativity. The plot is silly enough to allow for some truly bizarre fight scenes, and I can’t think of another movie that killed a guy with a giant porcelain tooth or a milkshake glass. That said, if you don’t have the stomach for some bloody gore, this isn’t going to be your kind of thing.

The other big concern for parents is going to be the profanity. There’s a good deal less than I was expecting, but that’s still more than some people will be comfortable with. If it’s any consolation, the characters go out of their way to avoid cussing in front of the kid – for me, I would have been more concerned about limiting her exposure to gunfire and corpses, but I suppose they’re doing their best. After all, you can’t expect perfect parenting out of a gang of assassins.

Directed by Navot Papushado. Starring Karen Gillan, Carlo Gugino, Lena Headey, Michelle Yeoh. Running time: 114 minutes. Theatrical release July 14, 2021. Updated

Watch the trailer for Gunpowder Milkshake

Gunpowder Milkshake
Rating & Content Info

Why is Gunpowder Milkshake rated R? Gunpowder Milkshake is rated R by the MPAA for strong bloody violence throughout and language

Violence: Numerous people are shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, impaled, slashed, blown up, crushed, and strangled. One person is decapitated. Another has their ear bitten off. One scene shows an individual suturing an injury.
Sexual Content: None.
Profanity: There are 16 sexual expletives, two scatological terms, and occasional uses of mild profanities and terms of deity.
Alcohol / Drug Use: Adults are briefly seen with alcohol. Some adults are shown abusing nitrous oxide.

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Gunpowder Milkshake Parents' Guide

This is an extremely violent film. How is violence treated in the story? Is it glamorized or in any way glorified? Can you think of less violent ways in which the story’s issues could be resolved?

Home Video

Related home video titles:

Fans of this style of violent action thriller may enjoy Birds of Prey, John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Pixie, Anna, Salt, or Mad Max: Fury Road.

Related news about Gunpowder Milkshake

Coming to Netflix: July 2021

Coming to Netflix: July 2021

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