Jennifer Garner Returns to Her Roots in 'Peppermint'

Peppermint tells the story of a woman named Riley North whose husband and daughter were killed by cartel gangbangers.  When the corrupt system fails to serve justice, she goes under the radar for five years to develop the skills and plans she needs in order to take justice in her own hands.  In her return, she sets out to wage a one-woman war against the cartel, while the FBI and police try to apprehend her and the sympathetic public cheer her on.

By any standard, it’s honestly a cliché-riddled revenge action thriller film.  But what makes it so special is the fact that it’s headlined by Jennifer Garner.

Alias was a TV series I never became a big fan of.  I caught a couple of episodes while channel browsing back then, but I never really followed it.  Nevertheless, that was where I first encountered Jennifer Garner, and I recognized that she carried herself well as an action thriller heroine.  At that time, I could totally see her becoming an in-demand female action star in the future.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.  After her stint as Elektra Natchios in the 2003 Daredevil movie (which was bad, but not as terrible as many paint it to be.  It’s not without its merits; I personally enjoyed it) and its 2005 spin-off Elektra (this one, on the other hand, is so bland that I only saw it once, and had totally forgotten what happened in it except for the scene in which Typhoid Mary kissed Elektra), I never saw her do action anymore.  It’s either she wasn’t given the opportunities or she avoided such roles to prevent herself from being typecast (or Elektra was so terrible, it closed that door for her).  It’s a shame.

That’s why I was so thrilled to see her in Peppermint.  For, in a sense, it was a returning-to-her-roots thing for her.  It’s a fantastic throwback to her days as an up-and-coming action star.  That alone is a cause of excitement, but more than that, her performance in this movie is legitimately terrific.

Furthermore, despite of its unoriginal plotline, the film is engagingly visceral.  Why?  First of all, revenge stories, by definition, already have an inherent attractiveness to them.  The concept of vengeance appeals to our primal human nature.  We are creatures who take great pleasure in seeing offenders get what they deserve, especially at the hands of those they wronged.  An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth.  Vigilantism especially is quite desirable, particularly when the official justice-giving institutions in place are of no help.  But aside from this facet, solid direction also plays a part in making this film work.  Its story beats may have been already done numerous times before, but they are handled and delivered proficiently that the overall result is something that doesn’t come off as stale but rather entertaining instead.

It’s like a nicely done cover song.  It may not be original, but it can still be pleasing.

In short, Peppermint is a generic but pleasing action thriller, mainly thanks to competent execution and Jennifer Garner’s contribution.