That first Peppermint trailer had our anticipation shooting through the roof. There is something about Jennifer Garner in an action vehicle that pure movie magic. She was sensationally sublime in the TV hit Alias (that finished its run in 2006) and seriously killed it in 2007’s The Kingdom. Sure, there’s the whole Daredevil/Elektra debacle, but that was never her fault.
Since then, the actress has strictly stayed with rom-coms, dramas and playing the girlfriend or wife in roles that could have been thankless, but weren’t as she elevates them with her talent, screen presence and innate cinematic charm. Perhaps she was waiting for the right action film to strap on those kick-ass boots and return to the genre. That eagerness to witness Peppermint—her action heroine comeback, if you will—quickly turned to sadness as her titanic prowess in the milieu is completely wasted with a lazy script and inept direction that completely fail her in every way.
Garner is Riley North, a happily married mother of a spunky little girl. It’s her daughter Carly’s (Cailey Fleming) birthday and her unsympathetic boss at her Los Angeles bank makes her work late (in a scene that is painful to watch). Somehow, when she gets home, it’s still early enough in the evening that she, her husband Chris (Jeff Hephner) and Carly can go to a Christmas fair to mark the occasion, enjoy some pizza, ride some rides and grab some ice cream. It’s the perfect evening, that is until gang bangers pull up and fire automatic weapons at the North clan, killing both dad and daughter and leaving Riley clinging to life.
She comes to in the hospital, is approached by a LAPD Detective Stan Carmichael (John Gallagher Jr.) and informed that despite witnesses who won’t speak up, they have three suspects in custody that will be let go in the next 24 hours if Riley doesn’t come forward and finger them for the murders. So, even though she has just had head surgery (one of the bullets just missed her brain) she is front and center at a line-up and picks out the three men. They are members of some drug cartel that we are led to believe is one of the most dangerous in the world and Riley is next seen sitting on the stand testifying in their trial. When her mental facilities are challenged, the judge decides that there is not enough evidence and the charges are dropped.
Umm…
Fast forward five years and Riley has gone off the grid. Authorities are certain that she’s returned and worse still… is seeking vengeance in the most violent of manners. She is a hero to those who experience crime daily—particularly in the Skid Row area of town where a mural has arisen celebrating her justice extoling ways. Not only is she gunning for those three men who walked for the murders, but everyone and anyone has any kind of connection to that cartel who orchestrated the unspeakable act.
Peppermint is explained as the title in the trailer as Riley speaks to her daughter after getting the titular flavor of ice cream at that holiday fair. Yet, that scene is cut from the film itself and completely embodies the failings of the writing and direction of this film that utterly undermines the awesome action work that Garner brings to the table. If you hadn’t seen the trailer, one would have no idea why the film about a mother seeking revenge for the death of her family was named for a flavor of ice cream.
Think about that for a moment.
That’s either lazy writing, a failure of storytelling and marketing. Or, a combination of all of the above. Whatever it is, it’s disheartening as Garner is terrific in numerous action scenes and dramatically pulls at audiences’ collective heartstrings with her performance itself.
It has been more than a decade since Alias sauntered into the sunset. How is it possible that the actress’ talent for action sequences has only elevated with time? There is a trove of talented actors who execute their fight choreography in a manner that mirrors all the work they’ve done prior. Dwayne Johnson comes to mind. His work in Skyscraper was interesting enough, but if you compare it to his work from a decade prior, it doesn’t feel fresh. Exciting still, sure, but elevated in stature? No.
Yet, Garner in Peppermint wields her ass-kicking moments with an air that feels as fresh as… well, peppermint! She vehemently commands every single one of those scenes and delivers an action performance that exceeds anything Garner achieved on Alias. Let us hope that she is not dissuaded by the muddled mess that is her latest film and studio folks (and indie’s too) get her a treasure trove of action movie scripts to utilize this talent before she returns to those girlfriend/mother/parent roles that have inhabited her resume for the last decade-plus.
Peppermint has corrupt cops, judges and other folks and we are simply supposed to accept that they are that way without any kind of script support that gives audiences a reason for the treason. There are plot twists that truly come out of nowhere and not in a good way. Screenwriter Chad St. John plods his drama through intertwining action scenes. Although those moments are exciting, there is nothing thrilling about them because a cost is never established. Sure, Riley has nothing to lose—that much we know—but St. John has no villains that are even two-dimensional, much less three-dimensional. A cardboard cut-out would emit more emotion from the audience that experiences Peppermint.
Director Pierre Morel is content to let what his writer penned be gospel and never attempts to elevate the material in any manner. This is a genre he excels in, after all. Not something that is fresh to the helmer. Morel gave us Taken for goodness sakes. That is certainly a film that was made better from page to screen by its star and director. Yet here in Peppermint, it is only the star that appears to be trying to make something out of nothing.
Please, Jenn, don’t let this be a final nail in the coffin of your action acting career. Let it merely serve as a slight stumble. What she shows in Peppermint illustrates that there is still much in Garner’s tank to charm action audiences. She alone elevates the effort from the dreadful doldrums and miraculously makes it faintly fun.
Grade: C-