10 Great Movies Like Gunpowder Milkshake Everyone Needs To See

Though it didn't quite manage to hit it big at the box office due to a limited theatrical release, Navot Papushado's "Gunpowder Milkshake" was one of our favorite thrillers from 2021. Starring Karen Gillan of "Doctor Who" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" fame, her character of Sam is raised from childhood to become a professional hired gun. And though she was deprived of a well-adjusted childhood thanks to her trade, Sam gets the chance to prevent another girl from suffering an even worse fate, when she's sent on a particularly risky mission.

Many loved "Gunpowder Milkshake" because of its all-female cast, stunning visuals, and of course, downright brutal action. All of this and more gives this thriller a fun and unexpected spin on the revenge genre that the "John Wick" and "Taken" series have popularized lately. And while the two aforementioned titles are some of the easiest examples to recall, they're far from the only ones worth giving a try if you're a fan of "Gunpowder Milkshake." Lock and load, because we'll be discussing 10 of the best films like "Gunpowder Milkshake" that can't be missed.

Most of our picks star heroes who at least have some layer of good to them despite their violent tendencies, but that doesn't seem to be the case for the protagonist of "Lady Vengeance." Convicted of a particularly heinous murder years earlier, Lee Geum-ja has spent the entirety of her adult life behind bars. During her time in prison though, Geum-ja has seemingly spent the years reforming and atoning for her crimes thanks to her newfound spirituality, and she is finally released. Now free to do as she pleases, it turns out that her previous victim wasn't the last person she plans to take out. That is, if she was even the true killer all along.

A gripping title by acclaimed South Korean director Park Chan-wook, "Lady Vengeance" is the final entry in the filmmaker's so-called "Vengeance Trilogy," which includes the cult classics of "Old Boy" and "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance." Although they're not connected narratively, all three of these titles focus on similar themes of retribution achieved through violence, and they're done so with the director's characteristic sense of style and humor. In all honesty, of "Gunpowder Milkshake" can't go wrong with any film in the Vengeance Trilogy, but "Lady Vengeance" in particular is a great fit due to its dark comedy, gritty action, stylish visuals, and striking color palette. 

If you imagine a story that merges some of the most eccentric and memorable characters on film with absolutely over-the-top violence, you'd wind up with something reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's works. Devoted fans of the legendary director can likely rank every title in his filmography by personal preference, and for many, both "Kill Bill" volumes are pretty darn close to the top.

When a former assassin for a group known as the Deadly Vipers tries to leave her life of slaughtering behind, she finds out that she can't escape her past that easily in the most dramatic way possible. Shot in the head on her wedding day and left for dead by her former boss, she awakens years later with a thirst for revenge. And as long as Bill, the former head of the Vipers, is still drawing breath, she refuses to rest.

Even as far as Tarantino's films go, "Kill Bill" is full of surprises. From its mastery of genre-bending to featuring a fully animated origin story for one of its villains, things only get better when it comes to "Kill Bill: Volume 2." While we wouldn't call it a flaw, the first title in the pair is admittedly a little light on character development for our unnamed heroine. The second part of the epic revenge tale gives the Bride some much-needed development and concludes with a satisfactory finale after a combined runtime of over four hours for both films. If you've just finished watching "Gunpowder Milkshake" and are looking for an equally great revenge thriller, it's hard to beat this classic series.

While the 2016 film "Suicide Squad" got a whole lot of things wrong, Margot Robbie's portrayal of the Joker's crazed sidekick Harley Quinn might have been just about the only thing it got right. The eccentric Harley never really had her time in the spotlight before the release of the critically lambasted origin story, a mistake that was soon remedied with the release of "Birds of Prey" in 2020, which was a hit with the critics.

Now free from the Joker's control after the events of "Suicide Squad," Harley finds herself able to live however she pleases. The trade off, of course, being that her less-than-amicable split with the Clown Prince of Crime has made her a whole lot of enemies. In fact, it seems like just about every crook in Gotham is out to get her, with the merciless head of a crime syndicate named Roman Sionis leading the charge. Outnumbered and outgunned against the powerful crime boss, she's forced to team up with the rest of Roman's adversaries to have a shot at taking him down.

Unlike most of the previous depictions of this beloved character, in this standalone film of "Birds of Prey," Harley is able to toe the line between good and outright evil a lot more freely, eventually turning her desperate bid for survival into a mission to protect a fellow target of Roman. Despite the R-rating, "Birds of Prey" doesn't take itself too seriously and still keeps the tone fun in its own twisted way. If you're looking for another whirlwind of humor and bloody chaos after "Gunpowder Milkshake," then "Birds of Prey" won't disappoint.

Much like "Gunpowder Milkshake's" Sam, the titular Hanna Heller was never fortunate enough to have a typical childhood. Trained practically from birth into becoming an expert assassin by her father, who is himself a former CIA agent, her entire life has been centered around preparing for a single high-risk mission. Now a 15-year-old girl, the time has come for her expertise to be put to the test in every way imaginable. When the true scope of the enemy she's been preparing to fight is revealed though, it leaves her with more questions than answers about everything she's been raised to believe.

Fans looking for another stylistic take on the thriller genre will undoubtedly enjoy "Hanna," though not for quite the same reasons as "Gunpowder Milkshake." This Joe Wright flick ditches the neon lights and snappy editing for something straight out of a dark fairy tale, which is enhanced in its Nordic setting of Finland. "Hanna" has thrilling and perfectly choreographed fight scenes, as well as a killer soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers to boot, so fans of "Gunpowder Milkshake" will find lots to love here. And if you really love "Hanna," you can also check out the 2019 series of the same name, which retells the film's events in a deeper way and takes them even further over the course of its seasons.

A loveless marriage and a recently concluded affair have made a mess out of Emma's life. Things are finally looking up, however, when her husband Mark brings her on a romantic getaway to a rustic cabin. Unbeknownst to Emma though, it's one trip from which Mark isn't planning on returning. A wonderful night turns horrifying when Emma wakes up the next morning and finds herself handcuffed to Mark, seconds before he meets a grisly death. Now chained to her recently deceased husband in the middle of nowhere, things quickly go from bad to worse when she starts to piece together her husband's twisted scheme.

Arguably best known for her role in the "Transformers" franchise, Megan Fox takes the lead in this 2021 thriller that's a far cry from the big budget popcorn flicks she started from and she absolutely kills it here. We might be using the term thriller a bit loosely here though, as "Till Death" could easily double as one of the best psychological horror films of recent memory. Its featuring of a resilient female protagonist, brutal violence, endless mind games perpetuated by Emma's husband, and the life-or-death situation she finds herself in all combine to make this one of the most harrowing picks on our list and will be sure to thrill any fans of "Gunpowder Milkshake.

Though his collection of feature films is a concise list, director Steve McQueen has certainly applied the idea of quality over quantity to all of them. And with five years between the release of "Widows" and the critically acclaimed "12 Years a Slave," he made it clear that you can't rush a great film. A modern day adaptation of an '80s television series with the same name and premise, "Widows" is considered one of the top films for the year it was released. That shouldn't be much of a surprise though, considering the all-star cast led by the Academy Award-winning Viola Davis and featuring Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Neeson, and Cynthia Erivo, among others.

Opening on the streets of Chicago, a risky heist goes belly up for the thieves when they find themselves outnumbered and outgunned. The trouble doesn't die with the men though, as the criminal kingpin they tried to rob goes searching for his missing cash, and goes after one of the men's widows, Veronica. Flush for cash, she and the rest of the robbers' grieving wives plot a heist of their own to get the mob off their backs and start a new life for themselves. When they begin to set their plan into motion, however, unforeseen circumstances threaten to undo everything.

Audiences looking for another female-dominated thriller after watching "Gunpowder Milkshake" will enjoy "Widows," which combines McQueen's brilliant direction with a surprising script by Gillian Flynn (author of "Gone Girl") to create a totally unconventional take on the genre.

A deadly game of espionage is at the center of "Atomic Blonde," which follows top-level MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton. Set amidst the closing years of the Cold War and the days leading up to the climactic toppling of the Berlin Wall, sides from both East and West are caught in a high-stakes fight to try and gain the upper hand against one another. Broughton's fellow agent James Gascoigne winds up in over his head while on a mission deep within Berlin, losing both his life and an invaluable piece of equipment that threatens to compromise the entirety of MI6, should it fall into the wrong hands. Now in a race against time, Broughton is forced to team up with a senior level CIA agent to try and recover the intel before it's too late.

If you're looking for another movie like "Gunpowder Milkshake" that features the inner workings of a highly secretive organization and its agents, "Atomic Blonde" is a great pick, as it features Charlize Theron in this stylish and cool role of Lorraine. And if you're still on the fence, then keep in mind that this one's one of the first films directed by "John Wick" producer David Leitch, who knows what he's doing when it comes to an action movie. Besides, who can say no to a film bathed in '80s style neon?

"Promising Young Woman" is a complicated film about an equally complicated issue. The Academy Award-winning title is a thriller, a black comedy, a revenge story, a mystery, and above all, a lot to absorb all at once. For Cassie Thomas, life isn't going at all as planned. She's a 30-year-old medical school dropout, and is living back home with her parents. Between frequenting bars and working a low-paying job, we're only left to wonder at what point everything went wrong. We discover that Cassie's best friend in college was assaulted, which led to a turn of events that have haunted her ever since and put a stop to her own once-promising medical career. Still grieving the events of her past, Cassie now lives a double life by night, as she tries to prevent something similar from happening to other women.

A tough title to watch from start to finish, "Promising Young Woman" is undeniably one of the most important picks on our list, which forces its audience to confront uncomfortable and painful realities of toxic masculinity and violence against women. While it doesn't offer the same level of light-hearted fun found in typical action films, it brings an incredible fusion of genres in its tale of vengeance and justice. "A Promising Young Woman" is a must-watch if you're looking for something mature, emotional, and thought-provoking.

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Every person has their limits, though for everyman Hutch Mansell, his patience proves stronger than most. His simple suburban life is only matched in its monotony by his 9-5 office job, and the only conflict he encounters on a day-to-day basis comes in the form of his less-than-amicable marriage. All the doldrums of family life come to an abrupt end however, when his home is the target of a home invasion one night. 

Even in a potentially life-or-death situation like that though, he manages to keep his cool. It's only when he discovers the crooks stole something near and dear to his young daughter that the veil shrouding his secretive past is finally pulled back. Revealed to be the type of guy that three-letter agencies call to get their dirty work done, we soon realize just how screwed the thieves who crossed him are. Though when they call upon some of their buddies with powerful connections in organized crime, Hutch may have just about met his match.

Fans of "Gunpowder Milkshake" can expect similar levels of blood-soaked mayhem in the tongue-in-cheek action thriller of "Nobody." This movie has it all for lovers of the genre: humor, violence, secret organizations, and even more secret pasts, and lovers of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" will be thrilled to see Bob Odenkirk in this unexpected role.

Another great film starring "Gunpowder Milkshake" lead Karen Gillan, "Dual" is also the only sci-fi pick we're covering on this list. Set in a world in which the process of human cloning has become perfected, the procedure has become an accepted practice for the terminally ill, so they can live on for the sake of their families. When unhappy and alcoholic Sarah (Gillan) is given a grim diagnosis, she decides that it would be best if she underwent the cloning process herself.

The thing is, cloning only replicates a person physically. The soon-to-be deceased is in charge of teaching their doppelgänger how to dress, think, and act like them. And as Sarah's death date inches closer, her clone becomes a more accurate copy by the day. Everything changes, however, when Sarah's impending demise gets inexplicably cured. She's left with the uneasy question what to do with her replacement, and the only logical answer (of course) is a brutal fight to the death to determine who will keep Sarah's identity.

"Dual" stands out thanks to its futuristic premise, as well as its existential question of what exactly makes us who we are. That's not to say the film is all doom and gloom though, as it has plenty of comedic moments to help keep it fun. And with "Breaking Bad" actor Aaron Paul in one of his most memorable roles to date, "Dual" is well worth checking out.