Peppermint Film Review

Peppermint (Rated R)

(Video Review)

While I love revenge films, even I thought this seemed unnecessary, and assumed that it would barely be worth the hundred minute run time. But, I gave it a chance out of boredom and was surprised that fewer people have mentioned just how superb Peppermint is, as an action thriller. The story is nothing new, a mother loses her family and of course, she must make those responsible pay. The story does use cliches, and features villans that may seem out of date in today's times.

However, the film has some very subtle shifts that subvert your normal expectations, I would also add that while a Cartel is the villain, the film is not racist in any way. As a matter of fact, the cast is quite diverse and features a very intriguing twist. While the story is predictable, it is of the comforting and welcome variety for genre fans, and for some, it may even offer a few surprises. Jennifer Garner has never been a favorite of mine, but she carries the film with an authentic and mesmerizing performance. 

She surely took some tips from Linda Hamilton and really owned the badassery of the role, leading to a surprising sense of credibility to the film's well-placed action scenes. Given that this is from the Director of Taken, I was very surprised by how his skills handling action have evolved. It still has his frantic and often dizzying sense of speed, but this time it is mixed with excellent use of slow motion, and careful framing to ensure you are always seeing the best shot of the action. I would say that the style reminded me a bit of Peckinpah meets Mann, realistic given the subject matter, eloquent and at the same time offering a visceral sense of satisfaction to the films gun battles. That is until the film's climax, which starts off well, but ends in a bit of an anticlimax. It is not enough to ruin the film by any means, and it does check the boxes a revenge thrillers finale should. 

(Spoiler warning)
(Spoiler warning)
Yet, as much as I would love to see more of Peppermint, the films ending cheapened what was a clever mix of 80's revenge nostalgia, and at times a very interesting meditation on revenge. 

(End of Spoilers)
(End of Spoilers)

For the nitpicks I could make, I would still argue that this is one of the better action films of recent memory. While the ending may not have been perfect, it had moments of satisfaction, that did not quite match the film's enthralling tone. It is also one of the few female-led, Punisher styled revenge films. While a few women have had their own revenge thrillers, none have felt quite as much like The Punisher, as Peppermint does. The action is worth the price of admission alone, and while it is not wall to wall, it is well directed and used to great effect. I have also not seen slow motion used in this manner sense Sam Peckinpah, it is hard to explain, but while many have used slow motion, Peckinpah's use was less about style, and more about storytelling. Peppermint is more style than substance, but even Peckinpah made films of that caliber. If you are looking for a satisfying action film with a hard edge, Peppermint will not disappoint, it could have been better, but that is only because it was even better than expected. Genre fans will not feel their time was wasted, and casual viewers with a taste for this kind of film will have an absolute blast.