There’s no shortage of underworld assassin action flicks these days – some just trying to ride the success wave created by “John Wick,” others trying to take it in a different direction. Thankfully, Netflix has one in “Gunpowder Milkshake” that harkens back to the classic assassin films of yore while also throwing a little Tarantino flavor and color in the mix to create a fun, ultraviolent adventure with a feminist spin. Director Navot Papushado joined The Playlist Podcast for a discussion on the film and his other previous and upcoming projects.
During the conversation, Navot Papushado describes the pitch for the film as, “What if Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, and Sergio Leone met in a room, watched Looney Tunes and were a bit intoxicated. That’s ‘Gunpowder Milkshake.’”
We also got to chat about casting Karen Gillan and Lena Heady as the leads in the film.
“I was a fan, like the whole world is a fan, of these amazing actors. [Karen and Lena] were the first to come onboard. I was a fan of them, but after meeting them I just knew I had to work with them on this. They were just so perfect for it,” said Papushado.
Alas, before we parted, the subject of the recent “Death Wish” remake came up, as Navot Papushado was at one point attached to direct the film, but left due to creative differences.
“I thought we could really make a great movie. Of course, the book is amazing, and I wanted to do something about a guy that is not good at what he does. Like, go against the typecast. You know, you’re not born John McClane,” Papushado teased. “[I wanted] something gritty and different and was engaging, but at one point it felt like this was not what everyone had in mind, and once you do a movie you’re married to it the rest of your life, so you should be pleased with what you do and it felt like that might not be the case.”
“Gunpowder Milkshake” hits Netflix on July 14. You can hear the full discussion below:
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