Peppermint
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.
Despite a respectable budget of $25.0M, Peppermint became a commercial success, earning $53.9M worldwide—a 116% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Peppermint (2018) showcases precise plot construction, characteristic of Pierre Morel's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 42 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.5, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Riley North
Detective Stan Carmichael
Diego Garcia
FBI Agent Lisa Inman
Detective Moises Beltran
Chris North
Carly North
Judge Stevens
Main Cast & Characters
Riley North
Played by Jennifer Garner
A mother who transforms into a vigilante after her husband and daughter are murdered by a drug cartel and the justice system fails her.
Detective Stan Carmichael
Played by John Gallagher Jr.
An LAPD detective investigating Riley's vigilante killings who gradually comes to understand her mission.
Diego Garcia
Played by Juan Pablo Raba
A ruthless drug cartel kingpin who ordered the hit on Riley's family and serves as the primary antagonist.
FBI Agent Lisa Inman
Played by Annie Ilonzeh
An FBI agent who joins the investigation into Riley's vigilante spree and the cartel connections.
Detective Moises Beltran
Played by John Ortiz
Carmichael's partner who assists in tracking Riley while harboring his own moral conflicts about her actions.
Chris North
Played by Jeff Hephner
Riley's loving husband who is gunned down by cartel assassins in the drive-by shooting that kills their daughter.
Carly North
Played by Cailey Fleming
Riley's young daughter whose innocent death at her own birthday carnival becomes the catalyst for Riley's transformation.
Judge Stevens
Played by Jeff Harlan
A corrupt judge on the cartel's payroll who dismisses Riley's case and allows her family's killers to go free.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Riley North is a loving mother and wife living a modest life in Los Angeles, celebrating her daughter Carly's birthday. She embodies working-class warmth and family devotion.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Riley, Chris, and Carly are ambushed in a drive-by shooting at the carnival. Chris and Carly are murdered in front of Riley, who is critically wounded. Her world is shattered.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Riley disappears after the trial, choosing to leave her old life behind. Five years later, she returns as a trained vigilante, executing one of her family's killers. She has crossed into a new world of vengeance., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Riley executes the judge and lawyer who took bribes during the trial, hanging their bodies from a Ferris wheel. The stakes escalate dramatically as she targets the corrupt system itself, not just the shooters. False victory: she's winning, but becoming more isolated and extreme., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 75 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Riley is captured by Garcia's men and brought to his compound. She faces torture and certain death, completely at the mercy of her family's murderer. Her quest appears to have failed., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 81 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Riley breaks free from her restraints and turns the tables on her captors. She synthesizes her training, rage, and maternal love into final action. The breakthrough: she has nothing left to lose., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Peppermint's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Peppermint against these established plot points, we can identify how Pierre Morel utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Peppermint within the action genre.
Pierre Morel's Structural Approach
Among the 5 Pierre Morel films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Peppermint represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Pierre Morel filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Venom: The Last Dance. For more Pierre Morel analyses, see Freelance, From Paris with Love and Taken.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Riley North is a loving mother and wife living a modest life in Los Angeles, celebrating her daughter Carly's birthday. She embodies working-class warmth and family devotion.
Theme
Riley's husband Chris discusses doing "the right thing" versus taking shortcuts, establishing the film's theme about justice versus revenge when the system fails.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Riley's ordinary world: her struggling family, Chris's job frustrations, and the temptation to work for drug lord Diego Garcia. The setup establishes their financial pressures and moral compass.
Disruption
Riley, Chris, and Carly are ambushed in a drive-by shooting at the carnival. Chris and Carly are murdered in front of Riley, who is critically wounded. Her world is shattered.
Resistance
Riley survives and identifies the killers, but the justice system fails her. The trial is corrupted, the killers walk free, and Riley breaks down in court. She grapples with the complete failure of legal justice.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Riley disappears after the trial, choosing to leave her old life behind. Five years later, she returns as a trained vigilante, executing one of her family's killers. She has crossed into a new world of vengeance.
Mirror World
Detective Carmichael and FBI agent Inman are introduced investigating Riley's return. They represent the legal system and serve as thematic counterpoints to Riley's vigilante justice.
Premise
Riley systematically hunts down the men who killed her family. She uses her combat training and tactical skills to eliminate targets, while living among the homeless and helping the community. The promise: watching a mother's vengeance unfold.
Midpoint
Riley executes the judge and lawyer who took bribes during the trial, hanging their bodies from a Ferris wheel. The stakes escalate dramatically as she targets the corrupt system itself, not just the shooters. False victory: she's winning, but becoming more isolated and extreme.
Opposition
Diego Garcia mobilizes his entire cartel against Riley. Police close in from one side, cartel from the other. Riley's support network in the community is threatened. The pressure intensifies from all directions.
Collapse
Riley is captured by Garcia's men and brought to his compound. She faces torture and certain death, completely at the mercy of her family's murderer. Her quest appears to have failed.
Crisis
Riley endures torture but doesn't break. She finds inner resolve, remembering her daughter and why she began this mission. Her dark night is brief but intense.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Riley breaks free from her restraints and turns the tables on her captors. She synthesizes her training, rage, and maternal love into final action. The breakthrough: she has nothing left to lose.
Synthesis
Riley fights through Garcia's compound, eliminating his forces. She confronts and kills Diego Garcia in his own home. She completes her mission of vengeance, destroying everyone responsible for her family's death.
Transformation
Riley stands amid the carnage, having achieved her revenge but remaining empty. The closing image shows her transformation from loving mother to hardened killer, suggesting vengeance brings no peace, only completion.