There are moments when the film makes it perfectly clear that Riley is unwell, seeing her daughter (Cailey Fleming) everywhere, but not once does the movie desire to take a look at what that might mean for Riley’s character. Therefore, according to the rules of the film, she is allowed to do whatever she wants in service of her goal. Riley’s actions are justified by stating that she lost her family and has a desire to protect the innocent. Truthfully, there is something terribly cynical about this whole affair. The results are some exceptionally grisly moments. She pulls no punches and never uses a minimal amount of force when a maximal amount can be applied. Repeatedly we are told that people on social media are rooting for Riley to finish her quest and eliminate evil (whatever form it may take), and many in the audience at the screening I attended were right there with the in-film public.įor or against Riley and her brand of vigilante justice, anyone watching the film will be impressed/shocked by some of the brutality of Riley’s methods. “Peppermint” is a movie orchestrated to satisfy the bloodlust of the audience, and to its credit, it knows as much. It uses the period as a way to explain how the mild-mannered Riley North changed into the action superstar she is when she returns. That particular time interval could be an exceptionally interesting one, but the film does not explore it. One can almost imagine her being taught by Ra’s al Ghul at some point. Where was she during that time? Seemingly she was pulling a Bruce Wayne – travelling the world, learning to fight both bare-handed and with weapons, and goodness knows what else. Annie Ilonzeh injects some much needed life as an FBI agent, but even her role feels like one we’ve seen before.Īfter the court proceedings, Riley disappears for five years before reemerging just in time to wreak havoc on drug lord Diego Garcia (Juan Pablo Raba) and his crew for the anniversary of the shooting. When three of those gang members go free without even a trial, Riley sets out to get some vigilante justice.Īs well worn (and poorly) as that entire setup plays out-and it does play out in such a fashion, particularly with one experienced detective, Moises Beltran (John Ortiz), telling a rookie, Stan Carmichael (John Gallagher, Jr.), all about the corruption in the city-the film only goes downhill from there. The actress stars here as Riley North, a wife, mother, and bank employee who watches her daughter and husband gunned down by a gang of drug dealers. In fact, Morel and company use Garner’s ability in that arena as a crutch, never developing characters nor making any sort of sense when they can just resort to Garner kicking ass instead. John, Garner’s ability to sell action may be the only thing the movie has going for it. Watching her return to a role that requires that sort of physicality is unquestionably the best part of her new big screen project, “Peppermint.”ĭirected by Pierre Morel with a script from Chad St. Jennifer Garner’s abilities as an action hero have been known to the public since she first starred on “Alias” more than 15 years ago. Home › review › Movie Review: “Peppermint” (2018)
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