| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jennifer Garner | ... | Riley North | |
| John Gallagher Jr. | ... | Detective Stan Carmichael | |
| John Ortiz | ... | Detective Moises Beltran | |
| Juan Pablo Raba | ... | Diego Garcia | |
| Annie Ilonzeh | ... | FBI Agent Lisa Inman | |
| Jeff Hephner | ... | Chris North | |
| Cailey Fleming | ... | Carly North | |
| Eddie Shin | ... | FBI Agent Li | |
| Method Man | ... | Narcotics Detective Barker (as Cliff 'Method Man' Smith) | |
| Tyson Ritter | ... | Homeless Sam | |
| Ian Casselberry | ... | Cortez | |
| Richard Cabral | ... | Salazar | |
| Johnny Ortiz | ... | Torres | |
| Michael Reventar | ... | Ortega | |
| Kyla-Drew | ... | Maria (as Kyla-Drew Simmons) | |
An unidentified woman is engaged in a brutal fight with a man in a car and finally dispatches him with a shot to the head. Five years earlier, the same woman, Riley North, is working as a banker in Los Angeles struggling to make ends meet. Her husband Chris owns a failing mechanic shop. They have a ten-year-old daughter, Carly. Chris' friend tries to talk him into robbing Diego Garcia, a powerful drug lord. Chris turns him down, but not before Garcia has already discovered his involvement and ordered his men to make an example of him. Riley and Chris take Carly out for pizza and to a carnival for her birthday since no one showed up to her party. At the carnival, Carly orders peppermint ice cream. As the family walks to the car, Diego's men gun down her husband and daughter in a drive-by shooting. She is wounded, but survives.
Peppermint was entertaining from start to finish. I don't understand why the critics have panned it. Is it a life-changing film? No, it most certainly is not. Is it an enjoyable film and does it compare favourably in its own category? Yes, it most certainly is, and yes, it most certainly does. Perhaps people are just uncomfortable with a tough female lead. I recommend it if you're a fan of revenge flicks.