On its opening weekend the movie amassed an estimated $14.6 million failing to surpass its budget of $25 million. It currently has a 14 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Courtesy of STX Entertainment
By Salvador Castillo
A rather pleasant surprise, “Peppermint” was an interesting idea: a vigilante film in which the one doing the punishing is a woman. Though that’s not the film’s only merit, as it has quite a few.
The film manages to pass the Bechdel Test, a rule named after American cartoonist Allison Bechdel, where at least two women in a fictional story talk to each other about something other than a man. Whenever two women in the film talk about men, it’s usually in reference to Riley’s dead husband or the leader of the gang that killed him.
Playing out like a mix between the original “Death Wish” and the “The Punisher” series on Netflix, the film’s story focuses on Riley North, played by Jennifer Garner, on her quest to bring to justice the men responsible for the deaths of her husband and daughter. The film is always easy to follow, but never outright dumb.
“Peppermint” shows that there was a reasonable gap between North’s losses and the start of her vengeance plan, while most other vigilante films have their protagonists become a killing machine in only a couple of weeks.
An additional point where the film excels is in showing how violent and dangerous the confrontations can get, with Riley getting hurt and almost killed quite often, without showing much gore aside from the occasional puddle of blood and open wounds.
Riley is never portrayed as a weak character, as she gains control of most situations she finds herself in. She also shows that she can be quite resourceful and intelligent by using her surroundings and available equipment to gain the upper hand against enemies.
The film’s pacing is handled well, with the story slowing down to explore the way North’s loss has affected her mentally over the years in between gunfights without it feeling forced.
Jennifer Garner’s casting is also surprising, since the closest she’s been to a vigilante was with her role as Sidney Bristow in the TV show “Alias” and as Daredevil’s fellow vigilante and love interest Elektra Natchios in 2003’s “Daredevil” and its 2005 spin-off “Elektra.” Most of her career steers away from action.
Garner’s acting, as well as the rest of the cast, imbues her character’s story with a well-balanced sense of realism and emotional weight, which develops in a natural way throughout the film.
I can confidently say that “Peppermint” is an action film that’s worthy of the audience’s time and money, and is, in line with its title, a new and refreshing point of view in the world of vigilante TV and movies.
