Gunpowder Milkshake

Channelling John Wick via Birds of Prey, this tonally wayward beat-'em-up uses exuberant action set-pieces to compensate for its shortfalls of coherence. That it almost succeeds is due largely to Karen Gillan's committed performance as Sam, a soulful assassin on the run from a crime syndicate with a girl (Chloe Coleman) in her care. As Sam's estranged mum (Lena Headey) and three supposed "librarians" (Carla Gugino, Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh) step in to help, any feminist or emotional subtext lands thuddingly, hobbled by a script that gives its cast nothing smart or funny to say. But writer/director Navot Papushado at least provides Sam with armies of men to pulverise in the wickedly, ingeniously excessive fight sequences. Though it lacks comic finesse and dramatic punch, Gunpowder Milkshake works as a gonzo pantomime of carnage and is a lively vehicle for Gillan.