When I heard Jennifer Garner was starring in a revenge movie helmed by Pierre Morel (the director of “Taken”), I was pretty excited.
I didn’t have particularly lofty expectations for Garner’s new film “Peppermint,” but I figured it might be an amusing diversion.
Ever since Garner starred in the TV series “Alias,” I’ve been a big fan. When that show aired, I told Bridget, “That girl is talented... she can kick ass, then cry on cue, and it all feels authentic.”
Those traits are on full display in “Peppermint.”
“Peppermint” tells the story of Riley North (Garner), a mother who seeks revenge when her husband and daughter are gunned down at a carnival by members of a Los Angeles drug cartel.
That might be the simplest plot summary I’ve ever written on this blog.
The setup for “Peppermint” is a bit more involved than that, but do you really need to know more?
Nah, probably not.
Suffice it to say, the perpetrators aren’t brought to justice. Riley North absconds with $55,000 (from the bank she works at) and disappears overseas for five years — where she learns to shoot guns, do mixed martial arts, and become a general bad ass.
She surfaces near the anniversary of the killings, ready to mete out justice on those who “done her wrong.”
I was entertained while watching “Peppermint.”
That said, there were significant flaws in the movie — big and small.
For example, after the deaths of her children, Riley North is prescribed Lorazepam — a medication that is referred to in the movie as an “anti-psychotic” drug (something used to discredit Riley during courtroom testimony).
A cursory Google search will tell you that the drug is not classified as such.
The reason I checked is that I’ve had elderly relatives who’ve taken the drug in conjunction with surgery (afterwards, to help with sleep).
That’s just lazy writing, in my opinion.
In addition to those “factoid foibles,” the filmmakers also tried too hard to wrap up all the loose ends in the story. As a result, the movie might have gone on longer than it should.
The longer the movie went on, the more time there was to poke holes in the plot.
Revenge stories aren’t always the most plausible tales, but if the filmmakers keep the narrative moving, those holes are less noticeable.
The most compelling revenge tale of the past decade was 2014’s “John Wick.”
“Peppermint” doesn’t achieve the quality seen in “John Wick” (despite amping up the gun play and fisticuffs).
By the way, are you wondering where the title “Peppermint” comes from?
The flavor of ice cream Riley North’s daughter Carly orders — just before her murder — is peppermint. What’s odd is that fact didn’t come into play as the movie wore on, nor did it have any particular significance.
In some respects, “Peppermint” tried to walk in the footsteps of the 2011 Zoe Saldana movie “Colombiana.”
Both movies are B-movie revenge tales, both movies star alums of the TV series “Alias” (Michael Vartan plays Danny Delaney in “Colombiana”), and both movies feature French directors from the “Taken” franchise.
The fact is I liked “Colombiana” more, and am disappointed “Peppermint” wasn’t as compelling.
We’re not talking high art here. The bar is pretty low with these sorts of movies.
“Peppermint” could have been much better... despite Jennifer Garner's best efforts.
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