Peppermint
2018 · Directed by Pierre Morel
Original language: English
- action
- thriller
The story
A grieving mother transforms herself into a vigilante following the murders of her husband and daughter, eluding the authorities to deliver her own personal brand of justice.
What it’s like
Hard-edged night city and drained daylight: Pierre Morel's style leans on saturated, sodium-orange and cold blue-grey urban nights, grimy bus interiors, rain-slick streets and sickly fluorescent hallways, with the camera often tight and handheld so the violence feels close and jolting. Sound design carries much of the weight, with thudding bass, sudden silences around gunfire and a driving, synth-tinged score that surges during set pieces and drops away into grief-heavy quiet between them. Flashbacks arrive in washed-out, warmer tones, a visual shorthand for loss that keeps the mood raw. Vibe: bleak, brutal, revenge-driven, with a current of mourning running under the adrenaline. Pacing is brisk and propulsive, with the emotional beats landing in short bursts rather than lingering. Intensity is high: frequent shootouts and hand-to-hand fights, a brutal and bloody tone in several sequences, with some gore, drinking and grim consequences, plus a few scenes of cruelty toward the protagonist's family. It is not gentle, and it can be harsh. Best for viewers who want a lean, grief-fueled action thriller about a widowed mother who becomes a one-woman reckoning, and who are comfortable with violence and darkness on a late night.
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