Peppermint
Rating of the critic:
2.5 / 5
HISTORY: An afflicted Riley Smith (Jennifer Garner) sets out to avenge the senseless murders of her husband and daughter after a self-imposed five-year exile.
REVIEW: Riley Smith is not the typical lady of the elegant neighborhoods of Los Angeles; She is fierce, frightening and complacent at the same time. After losing her family to the head of the international drug cartel, Diego García (Juan Pablo Raba), the accidental death of her loved ones pushes her to the limit. She decides to take matters into her own hands when the judicial system also disappoints her.
Now, like any other action movie, you expect an actress of the caliber of Jennifer Garner to take big shots and perform surreal action sequences. And thanks to years of training and collection of ammunition from across international borders, Riley's character has been strengthened enough to offer a stellar performance. But that is not the case here. The script is predictable and composed in an insipid way, and Garner is a bit misfit: he tries to inculcate the guts and agitation of his character, otherwise bland, only to appear docile and vulnerable.
The apprehensive writing and the unforgettable Hamming of Garner turn it into any other saga of half revenge. 'Peppermint' is one of those films full of ridiculous clichés and the crucial twists and turns of the diegesis come from a dangerous territory: lazy writing. The woman loses family and purpose in life; it makes vengeance the center and the boom ... revenge comes on a platter! I have it?
The antagonist of the film, Diego García, is a constant reminder of the Bollywood villains of the 80s and 90s, and no, that's not a compliment. Honestly, there are many scenes belonging to the world of drugs that seem forced and somewhat irrelevant.
Jennifer Garner with 'Peppermint' is perhaps an unfortunate decision and some may agree that doing this saga of revenge to the death in the first place defies logic by all means.
