Peppermint (2018)
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A grieving mother transforms into a lethal vigilante to hunt down the cartel responsible for her family's murder.
The story
Five years prior to the present, Riley North is a struggling banker whose life is shattered when her husband, Chris, and their ten-year-old daughter, Carly, are murdered in a drive-by shooting by a powerful drug cartel. Despite identifying the shooters, Riley finds the justice system compromised by the cartel's influence. After being forcibly institutionalized for her reaction to the tragedy, Riley escapes and vanishes. Five years later, she resurfaces as a vigilante, systematically executing those responsible for her family's death and initiating a one-woman war against the criminal organization.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Five years ago, Riley North, a banker, and her husband Chris, owners of a failing mechanic shop, are targeted by a powerful drug lord, Diego Garcia. During a birthday outing for their daughter Carly, the couple is gunned down in a drive-by shooting while Riley survives. When the legal system fails to prosecute the shooters due to the cartel's influence, Riley is institutionalized but escapes. She begins a violent crusade, executing the shooters and blowing up the home of a corrupt judge. FBI agent Lisa Inman begins tracking Riley, discovering she has stolen weapons and is acting as a 'guardian angel' for the residents of Skid Row. Riley eventually confronts Diego Garcia at his money-laundering front and his home. After a series of skirmishes, she is betrayed by a corrupt detective, Carmichael, who shoots Inman. Riley manages to lure the police to her location, confronts Diego, and shoots him in the head. She is found critically wounded at her family's gravestone and is taken to the hospital, where she is eventually allowed to escape.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Pierre Morel
- Writers
- Chad St. John · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Garner · Riley North; John Ortiz; John Gallagher Jr.; Juan Pablo Raba; Cailey Fleming; Tyson Ritter
- Genres
- action; thriller; vigilante
- Themes
- vengeance; justice; grief
- Tone and mood
- gritty; violent; dreary
- Premise and plot tags
- vigilante justice; revenge; crime; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- Influenced by the Marvel Comics character Frank Castle / Punisher
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics, with a 13% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 29/100 score on Metacritic. However, it received a 'B+' average grade from audiences on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 13% · review count: 150; Metacritic · score: 29 · scale: 100 · review count: 26
- Production trivia
- The title 'Peppermint' refers to the flavor of ice-cream the character's daughter was eating upon her death and the character's alias.; Jennifer Garner trained for three months for the role, including dance, cardio, weight training, boxing, and artillery sessions.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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