Jennifer Garner is a mother with a very particular set of skills in “Peppermint,” the upcoming revenge thriller from “Taken” director Pierre Morel.
The “District 13” helmsman probably feels like he could do with a hit after his last feature, 2015’s Sean Penn vehicle “The Gunman,” bombed at the box office and fared no better with critics. Now Morel has switched up the formula a little by sending a forty-something woman on the rampage rather than another fifty-something man, perhaps hoping to replicate the success of last year’s “Atomic Blonde.”
After her recent turns in acclaimed dramas “Love, Simon” and “Wakefield,” it might seem less obvious what Garner stands to gain from the collaboration but it’s worth remembering that the “Alias” star said back in 2012 that she was ready to return to the action genre. If “Taken” can successfully rebrand Liam Neeson as a legitimate and lucrative big screen badass then maybe it’s not such a stretch to say that “Peppermint” could do the same for Garner, achieving what “Daredevil” and “Elektra” could not.
Here’s a synopsis for the new film:
“Peppermint” tells the story of young mother Riley North (Garner) who awakens from a coma after her husband and daughter are killed in a brutal attack on the family. When the system frustratingly shields the murderers from justice, Riley sets out to transform herself from citizen to urban guerilla. Channeling her frustration into personal motivation, she spends years in hiding honing her mind, body and spirit to become an unstoppable force – eluding the underworld, the LAPD and the FBI – as she methodically delivers her personal brand of justice.
With a script penned by Chad St. John (“London Has Fallen”) and STX Films handling distribution, the film stars Garner, John Gallagher Jr., John Ortiz, Method Man, Richard Cabral, and Annie Ilonzeh.
“Peppermint” is scheduled to hit cinemas September 7th.
