There's a morbidly hilarious dark comedy buried not-so-deep inside the lousy revenge thriller "Peppermint." It's just probably not the movie that director Pierre Morel (" Taken ," "District B13") and screenwriter Chad St. John intended to make. In "Peppermint," a newly-widowed mother seeks revenge on the cartoonishly evil Latino drug-dealers who killed her husband and young daughter. This generically traumatic event sets former bank employee Riley North (Garner) on a rampage despite glaring psychological trauma that she refuses to treat (she's prescribed Lithium and anti-psychotic medication, but doesn't take them). Riley's instability is so prominent—represented periodically through sped-up, out-of-focus, and over-exposed subjective camera-work—that nobody in a position of power believes her when she says that she remembers the faces of the three men who killed her family.
Still, moviegoers are supposed to root for Riley because her husband and daughter's killers—a bunch of joint-smoking, booze-drinking, gun-toting monsters—are still on the loose, and the system is rigged, and other complaints that were made before (though not necessarily better) in the 1980s by lackluster sequels and ripoffs to "Death Wish." Somebody's got to pay, even if Riley's PTSD-like breakdowns suggest that she probably shouldn't be venting her spleen by murdering every complicit and therefore ostensibly deserving person she can. But again: "Peppermint" isn't a critique of Riley's privilege. She's just a white woman whose sole purpose is railing against a broken justice system and slaughtering a group of stereotypically ruthless Latino gangsters who literally work in a piñata store (as is announced three times during a news report within the film). How is this not a black comedy about our troubled times?
The producers of "Peppermint" may be French and Chinese, but the film's heroine still (unintentionally) exemplifies an ugly strain of contemporary American thought that insists that you are the one who is really being bullied if somebody tells you that you are bullying them. You don't even need evidence to support your counter-claim. Just look at all the ways that Riley's creators excuse their decision to use racist caricatures as straw men antagonists.
Riley's actions are supposedly justified by her self-image as a working class martyr. She's not as rich as Peg ( Pell James ), a snobby rival mother who, during a flashback, tells off Riley and her daughter Carly ( Cailey Fleming ) by saying that they aren't real Girl Scout material. But we're supposed to think that Riley's anger speaks for Los Angeles' fed-up, disenfranchised residents, as we see based on a flurry of tweets (showcased during the cops' official investigation of Riley's crimes) and one wall mural that's erected in the "Skid Row" part of town (identified as such by a Google Maps-like search, also during a police investigation). Riley's an underdog since she's fighting untouchable crook Diego Garcia ( Juan Pablo Raba ), a high-powered crime boss who's protected by an LAPD mole, a high-powered lawyer ( Michael Mosley ), a corrupt judge (Jeff Harlan), and dozens of gun-toting heavies. So it's up to Riley to do what a corrupt system won't: the exact same things that were already done by Frank Castle, Paul Kersey , Harry Callahan , John Rambo, the Duke, the Boondock Saints, and everyone else in the pantheon of Red-Blooded American Avengers.
The only problem with cheering Riley on is that there's more evidence to suggest that she's a highly effective (but also kinda goofy?) monster than there is proof that she's an antiheroic voice of the people. Riley threatens Peg at gunpoint until James' character urinates all over herself. She also stabs Harlan's character and then blows him up. Riley also carries a gun that's about at least half of Garner's size. When she breaks into Garcia's home, she stalks her prey like Steven Seagal at a buffet table, hoisting her gigantic rifle in front of her like a, well, you get the idea.
Almost everything about Riley's backstory and circumstances should make her seem more sympathetic. Unfortunately, Morel often seems more desperate than eager to please. In a flashback, we see that Riley's boss hates her, and made her work late on her daughter's birthday. Mere days before Christmas, at that! How could you not root for Riley, whose husband (Jeff Hephner) is asked to participate in a crime, but is so innocent that he backs down moments before so he can spend time with his family, making his death that much more tragic? And again, just look at the bad guys she's fighting! Garcia's men are defined by their tacky surroundings, whether it's the Las Vegas-chic (marble tiles and glass decanters) of his home or the Grim Reaper-like Santa Muerte effigy that ostentatiously looms over his various warehouses.
Morel also tries to preempt accusations of racism by making the two cops and an FBI agent that investigate Riley's case—played by John Ortiz , John Gallagher Jr., and Annie Ilonzeh —a racially integrated and gender-balanced group. And don't get me started on the inevitable unmasking of the double agent who's secretly working for Garcia. Ortiz even delivers an unbelievable line about how "the difference between [the cops and Garcia's men]" is that the cops should care while the criminals simply don't.
All of this pitiable self-victimization is significant to the film's plot and message, but probably not in the way that Morel thinks. His lip service apology for the film's inherent sketchiness doesn't justify the icky spectacle of Garner shooting and stabbing her way through a legion of stick figure villains, but rather suggest that the film's heroine is unwittingly perpetuating the same imbalanced system of power that she's railing against, no matter how many dead family members, and POC allies have her back. "Peppermint" is kind of funny, but never intentionally.
Simon Abrams
Simon Abrams is a native New Yorker and freelance film critic whose work has been featured in The New York Times , Vanity Fair , The Village Voice, and elsewhere.
- John Gallagher Jr. as Detective Stan Carmichael
- Annie Ilonzeh as FBI Agent Lisa Inman
- Juan Pablo Raba as Diego Garcia
- Jennifer Garner as Riley North
- John Ortiz as Detective Moises Beltran
- Chad St. John
Cinematographer
- David Lanzenberg
- Frederic Thorval
- Pierre Morel
- Simon Franglen
Leave a comment
Now playing.
All We Imagine as Light
Elton John: Never Too Late
The Creep Tapes
Small Things Like These
Bird (2024)
Meanwhile on Earth
Christmas Eve in Miller's Point
Stockholm Bloodbath
Latest articles
Jimmy O. Yang Shines in Excellent "Interior Chinatown"
Tokyo International Film Festival 2024: "Apollon by Day, Athena by Night," "Underground," "Emmanuelle"
Taylor Sheridan's Well Runs Dry in "Landman"
The Rise of Fourth Cinema
The best movie reviews, in your inbox.
The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
site categories
‘peppermint’: film review.
Jennifer Garner plays a mother turned violent vigilante after her husband and daughter are gunned down in 'Peppermint,' the latest action film from Pierre Morel, the director of 'Taken.'
By Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
- Share on Facebook
- Share to Flipboard
- Send an Email
- Show additional share options
- Share on LinkedIn
- Share on Pinterest
- Share on Reddit
- Share on Tumblr
- Share on Whats App
- Print the Article
- Post a Comment
Jennifer Garner displays a particular set of skills in the latest actioner directed by Pierre Morel, who resuscitated the vigilante genre with Taken . Playing the sort of badass character who makes her Sydney Bristow on Alias look delicate, the actress brings an admirable physical commitment to her performance as a mother intent on getting justice after her husband and daughter are murdered. Peppermint lacks subtlety and anything even remotely resembling credibility, but like its heroine, it certainly gets the job done. It’s the sort of picture that would have been boffo on a grindhouse double bill in the 1970s.
Garner’s character, Riley North, doesn’t start out as a lethal assassin. She’s an ordinary Los Angeles housewife, working at a bank and lovingly devoted to her husband Chris (Jeff Hephner) and 10-year-old daughter Carly (Cailey Fleming). The family is having trouble making ends meet, leading Chris to consider joining a friend in a plot to rip off a local drug kingpin, Diego Garcia (Juan Pablo Raba). Chris backs out at the last minute, but not before the plan has been discovered. During an outing at an amusement park to celebrate Carly’s birthday, he and his daughter are brutally gunned down, with Riley seriously injured as well.
Related Stories
Olivia williams on 'dune: prophecy,' her "own 'lost in translation' moment," and her flirt with hollywood stardom, ai trained in werner herzog's works wrote murder mystery doc 'about a hero,' starring vicky krieps.
Release date: Sep 07, 2018
Cooperating with the sympathetic detectives (John Ortiz, John Gallagher Jr.) investigating the case, Riley identifies the gunmen (criminals should probably avoid having distinctive facial tattoos) and testifies against them in court, even after receiving a combination bribe offer/threat from the defense attorney. But the deck is clearly stacked against her, with the obviously corrupt judge dismissing the case. When Riley goes berserk and tries to attack the killers, she’s tasered and is on her way to a mental hospital when she manages to escape.
Cut to five years later, which is apparently the amount of time needed to transform oneself into a lean, mean killing machine. The screenplay by Chad St. John ( London Has Fallen ) doesn’t bother to provide any details as to exactly how Riley becomes an expert in hand-to-hand combat and automatic weaponry, among many other talents. In any case, she’s back in Los Angeles and immediately begins her vendetta against Garcia and his minions, starting with the three men who murdered her family. She proves remarkably adept in her mission, showing no mercy as the body count lurches toward the triple digits. The frustrated Garcia, watching his men slaughtered like pigs in a series of daring raids, is reduced to giving such orders as “Put this bitch in a box before sunset!” and proclaiming, “This shit ends tonight!”
Along the way, Riley demonstrates that she hasn’t lost her maternal instincts. After an encounter with a young boy and his drunken lout of a father on a city bus, she takes matters into her own hands and shows the errant dad the error of his ways by sticking a gun in his mouth. And after being injured during one of her violent encounters, she briefly takes refuge in the house of a soccer mom who made her life miserable in the past. But not before punching her in the mouth.
Director Morel, who also made the Sean Penn starrer The Gunman (are you sensing a pattern?), stages the ultra-violent proceedings for maximum visceral effect. While the action sequences lack the morbid visual elegance of the John Wick movies, they’re cleanly choreographed, photographed and edited. Only the big finale, involving Riley, the criminals and the cops at Skid Row, proves disappointing, with reality, such as it is in a film like this, completely thrown out the window.
Garner, who hasn’t done this sort of thing in quite a while, handles the demanding physical aspects of her role with tremendous skill, demonstrating an admirable commitment to her training regimen. But unlike so many action stars, she’s equally adept at drama and comedy. Whether cracking sardonic jokes or showing tenderness toward a child, her character is sympathetic even when committing the most violent atrocities. The audience is on her side from the first moments to the ending, which provides the opportunity for Riley to make a return appearance in a sequel. After all, it took no less than five Death Wish movies for Charles Bronson to finally get the job done.
Production companies: Huayi Brothers Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment, STXFilms Distributor: STX Entertainment Cast: Jennifer Garner, John Ortiz, John Gallagher Jr., Juan Pablo Raba, Annie Ilonzeh Director: Pierre Morel Screenwriter: Chad St. John Producers: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Eric Reid, Richard Wright Executive producers: David Kern, James McQuaide, Renee Tab, Christopher Tuffin, Donald Tang, Wang Zhongjun, Wang Zhonglei, Felice Bee, Robert Simonds, Adam Fogelson Director of photography: David Lanzenberg Production designer: Ramsey Avery Editor: Frederic Thoraval Composer: Simon Franglen Costume designer: Lindsay Ann McKay Casting: Deanna Brigidi
Rated R, 102 minutes
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Critic’s notebook: the under-seen films that speak to this moment in american politics, alfonso cuarón to make surprise visit to camerimage film festival, ‘red one’ director jake kasdan talks shrinking dwayne johnson and why kirsten dunst has yet to return to ‘jumanji’, making of ‘anora’: how sean baker turns the rom-com on its head, nicole kidman to be honored with international star award at palm springs international film festival (exclusive), box office: ‘red one’ rounds up $3.7m in previews.
Jennifer Garner's Film Was A Mixed Bag With Reviews, But That Didn't Stop Her From Watching It At The Theater Undercover
Your changes have been saved
Email is sent
Email has already been sent
Please verify your email address.
You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.
Key Takeaways
- Jennifer Garner took a unique approach to her movie premiere by hiding and observing audiences watching her film, Peppermint.
- While the film received mixed reviews from critics, it was a commercial success, grossing over $53 million worldwide.
- Garner's return to the action genre in Peppermint paved the way for her upcoming role as Elektra in Deadpool 3, marking a triumphant comeback.
Movie premieres are handled differently by major stars. John Cusack walked out of his own movie , stars like Reese Witherspoon don't watch their own films , and others simply check it out and move on.
In 2018, Jennifer Garner took a unique approach to her return to the action genre. Garner opted to hide and observe audiences watching her own film. It was a bold move, and its certainly unconventional, but it made for a great story, and an interesting marketing ploy by the studio.
Let's see how the experience went for Garner, how the film fared, and how it was a precursor to her recent work!
Jennifer Garner Hid From Fans As They Watched Her Film, Peppermint
Well, this was certainly a unique approach!
For her film, Peppermint , Jennifer Garner was urged to attend and see how audiences responded to it . Instead of being in the thick of it, Garner opted to stay out of sight.
In the video posted to her social media account, Garner said, "Hi. I’m in a movie theater and I have a movie out and I have to be here with my fans."
"I’m afraid people are gonna hate the movie and take pity on me, see me and think I’m just obsessed with myself. Nonetheless, I have tickets," she continued.
Garner was eventually spotted by a fan, who complimented the film.
Now, this is an interesting approach by Garner and the studio. Critical and commercial reception are always revealed in time, but this was certainly used as a promo opportunity for social media.
One thing we do know is that Peppermint didn't exactly set the world on fire upon release.
Jennifer Garner Has Surprise Confession About Reese Witherspoon As She Struggles With Ex Ben Affleck
Jennifer says Reese has supported her as a single mom as she struggles to co-parent with her ex.
Peppermint Was A Modest Success, And Panned By Critics
Released in September 2018, Peppermint emerged as a gritty thriller that had audiences interested in seeing what it was all about. Directed by Pierre Morel, this film brought Jennifer Garner back to the forefront of the action genre, offering a powerful performance that resonated with fans and critics alike.
The film received a mixed bag of reviews from critics. While some praised Garner's compelling portrayal of a grieving mother turned avenger, others critiqued the film for its predictable plot. According to Rotten Tomatoes , Peppermint holds a rating of 13% based on critical reviews, with an audience score of 70%, indicating a more favorable response from moviegoers.
Box office numbers, however, tell a different tale. The film grossed over $53 million worldwide, surpassing its $25 million budget, making it a commercial success.
Jennifer Garner's return to the action genre was a highlight of Peppermint . After gaining fame for her role in the television series Alias , Garner ventured into various genres, but Peppermint marked a triumphant return to her action roots. Her portrayal of Riley North showcased not only her physical prowess but also her ability to convey deep emotional turmoil.
For Garner, the action genre has been good, and thankfully, it looks like she is sticking around.
Every Jennifer Garner Movie That Has Grossed Over $100 Million At The Box Office
Jennifer Garner is a Hollywood icon, and while she isn't known for blowing out the box office, she has her fair share of movies that have.
Garner Has Returned To The Action Genre, And Will Be Entering The MCU
In 2022, Garner appeared in Ryan Reynold's The Adam Project , which was a fun action romp. With wonderful sci-fi elements, the film was one that many fans enjoyed.
As if that wasn't exciting enough, it's beginning to look like Garner will be stepping foot into the world of superheroes once more, as rumor has it that she will be reprising the role of Elektra in the upcoming Deadpool 3 .
According to The Hollywood Reporter , "After a nearly 20-year hiatus, the actress is returning to the role of Marvel Comics’ assassin antiheroine for Deadpool 3 , multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter .
"The Marvel Studios production is currently shooting, with Ryan Reynolds reprising his fan-favorite part of the fourth wall-breaking Merc with a Mouth. Hugh Jackman has come out of Marvel retirement to play Wolverine once again," the report continued.
With the Multiverse in full effect, we could see many other former superhero performers reprise their iconic roles. We could even see multiple versions of the same character collide. Garner might have been there first, but let's not pretend like Elodie Young did not do an exceptional job as Elektra in the Daredevil series.
Jennifer Garner Was Freaked Out After Gary Busey Interrupted Her Ryan Seacrest Interview To Kiss Her Without Consent
Jennifer Garner's red carpet experience was spoiled when Gary Busey kissed her without consent in the middle of her interview.
Peppermint was the nudge that Jennifer Garner needed to get back into the action genre, and because of this, fans should be eating good when she appears in Deadpool 3 . Let's hope she'll be out in the open when it comes to gauging fan reaction.
