Peppermint

A Seagal-esque revenge flick in the guise of modern trends with a female avenger, a mother who over the course of five years in Asia developed into a dauntless assassin for a ruthless drug gang. We never fully learn how she tracked them down or how she could have such luck that everything turned out okay. In short, it’s like the old days back in the ’90s when the “cool” parameter was enough and no logic was required. The only logical thing here is the involvement of director Pierre Morel, but with a screenplay like this, it’s still an exercise in futility. (01/08/2020)

Pierre Morel's weakest film, it's a wonder that after a three-year break he came up with a completely bland B-movie that seems to have fallen out of the 90s. Thankfully Jennifer Garner is hot and she's pretty pissed off the whole movie, so watching her for 102 minutes doesn't hurt at all, but action-wise there's not much to stand for and the story follows the same template. I wasn't bored, but that's not enough for Morel. 60% (12/02/2018)

Pierre Morel, a seasoned action director and master of gritty stories, directs a video game for schoolkids that might succeed on a rainy afternoon on TV. Jennifer Garner was supposed to be a sort of modern alternative to Charlize Theron from Atomic Blonde, but she's not even close. It's not that she doesn't look cool enough and kick some ass here and there, but they don't allow her to stand out like her rival. A waste of time even for die-hard action movie fans. (12/21/2018)

When you see a film directed by Pierre Morel, and it's a revenge movie, you might fondly remember the original Taken and think, "What if it turned out like that now?" Unfortunately, it didn’t. Jennifer Garner in the lead role is one of the few positives the film offers. I appreciate her physical preparation for the role, and it’s immediately noticeable. However, in terms of story, the film doesn’t bring anything new, recycling the same old revenge narratives about a murdered family. Let’s be fair... Did the action and shootouts save it? No, they didn’t impress me as particularly spectacular. It could have been a female version of John Wick, and believe me, Garner, with her angry demeanor and toned physique, would have been perfect for the role. But instead, the film feels like a distant, impoverished cousin of John Wick, hidden behind a dusty old closet. Simply put, it’s disappointing. There weren’t many shootouts, and when they did occur, they were quite weak. Pablo Raba also overacted in his role as the leader of the Mexican cartel. And the open, almost foolish ending topped it all off. I give it 49%. (12/28/2018)

I like Jennifer Garner quite a bit, but it seems to me that she has once again stepped way out of line by accepting the lead role in this action flick with its impotent screenplay. Not even a seasoned director like Pierre Morel was able to improve on this completely uninteresting and boring story. (35%) (06/23/2022)