Peppermint Is A By-The-Numbers Vigilante Flick That's Made Watchable Due to Jennifer Garners Electrifying Performance

      When one thinks of a popular yet generic genre in Hollywood that audiences often find themselves reverting to on a continuous basis, the revenge genre is often regarded as a reliable and highly successful one that people often turn to for reasonably solid entertainment. What is it about the theme of revenge and seeking justice that draws audiences back to these types of films continuously one asks? It has more to do with the idea that the justice system has ultimately failed the main characters as shown with the majority of the films plot, along with the end result being the main characters end up taking the law into their own hands. Their actions set forth a personal quest for justice, that often comes with a trail full of both extreme mayhem and graphic violence. For the audience, it's the illusion of seeing retribution being carried out for the wrong being done to the main character that makes the experience all the more satisfying, even if the story beats feel more familiar with each new film. That very much appears to be the case with Peppermint as Jennifer Garner delivers her most badass and strongest acting performance since her role as Sidney Bristow in the hit Tv show Alias. Whereas her performance ends up being the sole reason the film works, the rest of the film ultimately succumbs to being nothing more than an average by-the-numbers revenge thriller, that lifts every cliche and major plot twist from other films within the same genre.

      The plot for Peppermint focuses on a woman named Riley(Played by Jennifer Garner), being devastated by the murder of her husband and young daughter with her ultimately taking justice into her own hands when the system meant to serve victims ultimately fails her. As entertaining and compelling as the plot for Peppermint comes across, the story has also been done before with similar films such as Quentin Tarentino's The Kill Bills with Uma Thurman, 2007's The Brave One with Jodie Foster, Death Sentence with Kevin Bacon, John Wick with Keanu Reeves, Death Wish with Charles Bronson as well as the remake with Bruce Willis, and A Time To Kill With Samuel L. Jackson. Peppermint despite being mildly entertaining at best, relies heavily on the strength of its main star to make it feel alittle more than just a poor retreat of the other films listed. There isn't anything about the plot presented here that feels creative nor original, and instead recycles the same formula and subplots to glue together a painfully mediocre script, that ultimately feels uninspired. The film lifts everything from the traditional revenge film such as the main character witnessing their loved ones getting killed, along with seeing the corruption of the justice system being revealed right before their eyes with them capturing targets, tying them up, and making them realize their crimes while torturing them. The film even shows the detective characters slowly putting two and two together while being secretly supportive of the main characters actions as she not only does their job for them, but exposes the dirty cops in their police force. If one hasn't seen any of the other films listed, Peppermints story would be even more impressive and exciting rather than feeling bland. The end result is a forgettable action flick that was made somewhat entertaining by its main star, who clearly demonstrates that she still has what it takes to be a female action heroine in today's era of cinema.

      One of the key elements that makes revenge films so exciting and genuinely thrilling to watch is the casting of the films main characters, who not only make their characters out to be sympathetic figures but can pull off the inevitable switch from innocent civilian to a vigilante type role. Whereas the plots of certain revenge films may feel all too familiar or scripts being rather bland, the strength of the actor/actress behind the roles of the main victim can elevate the film into being something more than just a mediocre effort if handled right. With Peppermint, Jennifer Garner surprisingly rises above its unoriginal script and creates a character that's not only sympathetic but engaging to watch when she pursues the men who took her family away from her. She gives what's arguably her best performance in years and helps give the film some of it's much needed energy to be somewhat exciting. John Ortiz turns in a strong performance as Detective Moises Beltran, who pursues Garner's character as she initiates her justice. Despite playing a character that feels generic as the typical cop putting all the pieces of the puzzle together while being one step behind the vigilante, Ortiz still manages to make his character likable. John Gallagher Jr. also turns in a decent performance as Detective Stan Carmichael with his character also pursuing Garner's. Other notable supporting roles are Juan Pablo Raba as the films main antagonist Diego Garcia. He does the best job he can with his one-dimensional villain role. Annie lionzeh also leaves a positive impression on audiences as FBI Agent Lisa Inman, Jeff Hephner as Riley's husband Chris North, Cliff Smith as Narcotics Detective Barker, and Cailey Fleming as Riley's daughter Carley North in a brief performance along with Hephner. The cast for Peppermint performs about as well as one would expect them to with the characters handed to them along with the films plot. None of the performances are terrible but besides Garner's terrific performance as Riley North, the rest of the cast despite being appealing as a whole, turns in relatively decent performances that help make up​ for the scripts shortcomings with the story being entertaining to watch at the very least.

      Directed by Pierre Morel who helmed Taken, he brings a similar style of fast-cuts and kinetic energy to directing the films action sequences that make them interesting to watch, despite the script not being as strong this time around. Morel keeps the story moving fast-paced with the first 30 mins showing what happened to Riley's family before going into full blown Kill Bill/The Brave One mode with Garner exacting some sweet revenge on those who harmed her family. The violence shown in the film is both extreme and brutal with Morel not holding anything back for the audience. Through the use of the films effective cinematography, he presents the violence as being both quick and rapid in terms of showing Riley taking out her henchmen methodically. While he refrains from using any excessive gore that reaches Eli Roth style territory in terms of being overly graphic, he still presents the action sequences and violence as being both deeply intense as well as exciting and ultimately dynamic. He presents Riley exacting her revenge as something the audience looks forward to in between the by-the-numbers plot with the detectives trying to track her down or the villains showing frustration with her interrupting their plans and plotting to get rid of her. Whereas the script fails the movie, Morels directing along with Garner's performance arrive to raise the film to the level of being passable entertainment at the very least. One wonders what this film could've turned out like if more thought was put into the films script.

      The films screenplay by Chad St. John comes across as feeling pretty standard for a vigilante action flick with the film feeling as if it's going through the motions in regards to telling its story. The audience gets a brief glimpse into what Riley's life was like prior to the murder of her husband and daughter, which has become the standard norm for revenge flicks with showing the past before moving into the present with the main characters. What the script does well is building up Garner's character to be a force to be reckoned with in regards to her seeking vengeance. The films antagonists are portrayed as being typical baddies, who are foolish enough to think they can outsmart the person gunning for them. There is no heavy nor deep development with the villains other than the audience automatically despises them for what they did to Riley's family. There's also nothing new in regards to presenting the films authorative figures as they act like generic tropes in the revenge film with their main objective being to be one step behind the main character in regards both pursuing them, as well as figuring out their main motivation for killing off their targets. What are meant to be shocking plot twists for the audience prove to be nothing surprising for those who've seen enough of these movies as the reveals can be seen a mile away regarding characters that the audience thought to be righteous turning out to be crooked or the villains thinking they killed the main character. These elements are no surprise to the audience as they've been done before with most cases having them being executed more effectively. The script misses the opportunity to further emphasize Riley's switch from innocent civilian to female badass by showing how she acquired her weapons or learned how to use them. Her character is regarded as being a hero to the homeless community whom she resides with, but the audience doesn't see much of the things she does to inspire people to spray paint her picture on walls. Unlike films such as The Brave One or 2018's remake of Death Wish, Peppermint teases the question of whether Riley's actions are justified in the eyes of the public with the consensus barely being shown or referenced. The idea that the majority of the public agrees with Riley's vigilantism, is treated as an afterthought and not given its proper elaboration that could've added a deeper layer to the plot. With those films, the audience got several moments where the main characters performed good deeds for people around shady neighborhoods that made them appreciate their actions regardless of how extreme they came across as being. The one example that Peppermint gives audiences is a scene involving Riley confronting a neglectful alcoholic father and scaring him into being a better father with sticking a gun in his mouth. While such an action may appear as being a bit extreme given the set up of that scenario, it's the only moment that audiences get to see why the neighborhood appreciates Riley as a savior type figure. The script for Peppermint overall feels like a huge missed opportunity to explore some of its themes regarding loss of loved ones, a failed justice system, corruption, revenge, vigilantism, and justice with the end result being just a fast-paced yet average revenge thriller that offers nothing new to audiences.

      As talented of an actress as Jennifer Garner is (She's not only a terrific actress but proves she can still be a compelling female action heroine star), she deserved a much better script to work off. The film essentially lives and breathes because of her presence here with the action scenes being well-executed and choreographed. If one wants to see a solid revenge thriller that explores the concept of vigilantism deeper than whats presented here, they should watch Jodie Fosters The Brave One Instead. It's similar but carries with it a stronger story, as well as generating much more sympathy for her character with the same being said for Death Sentence. The film came out several months after the release of Eli Roth's remake of Death Wish. Despite Garner's performance being stronger than Bruce Willis in the main role, Death Wish whether audiences liked or disliked the film, at least attempted to explore many of the themes that Peppermint teases but ultimately​ treats them as being after thoughts. In the end, the film ultimately disappoints because the filmmakers didn't bother to explore what they had nor meet the kind of enthusiasm and energy, that its main star brought to the film. She's the only reason that such an average and forgettable action flick, is even worth bothering with in terms of giving it the time to watch.

Final Verdict: Fans of vigilante style action thrillers will find moderate entertainment in Peppermint largely thanks to Jennifer Garner's terrific performance. Those looking for a more in-depth plot with an exploration of many of the themes Peppermint touches on should instead watch The Brave One with Jodie Foster, as it carries a stronger story.