I'm guessing Peppermint was pitched as "a female Punisher". On paper, that's intriguing. Unfortunately the project never really developed beyond that.
I think director Pierre Morel thought he was making a legitimately important film rather than a mindless potboiler. The movie wastes too much time on by-the-numbers formula, as though it has pretensions of being a gritty character piece. This isn't inherently a bad thing--Tarantino, for example, is a master of fleshing out familiar story lines and making them dynamic and exciting. Peppermint, however, brings nothing new to the table. The screenplay is so derivative you'll be calling out certain lines of dialogue before the characters even say them. Peppermint has potential, but it should have been more streamlined and stylized, a la John Wick.
Jennifer Garner is also miscast. She's a good action heroine, but the story calls for her to be haunted and tormented--a woman with nothing left to lose. Garner can get a sad look on her face, but the darkness never seems to shade her soul. She's just too adorable for such a part, maybe.
There are a few good action sequences that make Peppermint a worthwhile theatrical experience if you have Moviepass, which is the only reason I saw it. Otherwise, wait for it to show up on streaming outlets.
I think director Pierre Morel thought he was making a legitimately important film rather than a mindless potboiler. The movie wastes too much time on by-the-numbers formula, as though it has pretensions of being a gritty character piece. This isn't inherently a bad thing--Tarantino, for example, is a master of fleshing out familiar story lines and making them dynamic and exciting. Peppermint, however, brings nothing new to the table. The screenplay is so derivative you'll be calling out certain lines of dialogue before the characters even say them. Peppermint has potential, but it should have been more streamlined and stylized, a la John Wick.
Jennifer Garner is also miscast. She's a good action heroine, but the story calls for her to be haunted and tormented--a woman with nothing left to lose. Garner can get a sad look on her face, but the darkness never seems to shade her soul. She's just too adorable for such a part, maybe.
There are a few good action sequences that make Peppermint a worthwhile theatrical experience if you have Moviepass, which is the only reason I saw it. Otherwise, wait for it to show up on streaming outlets.