Peppermint

There's this trend of beautiful older actresses trying to break the mold of just being the dutiful girlfriend to take on action films like their male counterparts. At least Jennifer Garner has the Elecktra and Daredevil films to prove her action cred. This mindless intense film was directed by Pierre Morel French film director and cinematographer whose work include District 13, From Paris with Love and Taken. It's the kind of movie that will appeal to those who harbor secret fantasies of getting back at the bad guys. Judging from the reaction of the screening audience, there seems to be a lot.

Garner is Riley North, a typical working mother with her precious daughter and loving husband. She has a thankless job at the bank, her husband is in car maintenance, Riley and her daughter get bullied by the snobby scout mom for living on the wrong side of the boulevard. But that doesn't seem to bother Riley who lives and breathes for her family. Her happiness is shattered when a cartel gang gun down her family. Her efforts to identify the killers is show down by the judge who remands her to mental health facility, obviously having been bought out by the drug dealers. The action skips 5 years ahead near the anniversary of the tragedy. Only spotty background from all over the world is given the transformation of Riley. She is skilled in fighting, explosives, all manner of weaponry in which she single handed manages to take down all the gang members. It doesn't take long for the Police to figure out who is wreaking havoc and body count all over the city.

It would have been nice to understand where she got her training and the expenses. She lives in a van filled with guns in skid row, that for some reason has been crime free since she moved in. Her reputation has become a folk hero in the neighborhood and on social media. There is one scene where she bullies an alcoholic dad to spend time with is son. She grabs for his ID and was kind of expecting her to say "What's in yuur wallet". That aside, the action is relentless. Yet you root for her to extract justice from all who did her wrong. By then end, you can probably expect the skid row angel to be back for another story.
(Review by reesa)