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 mid-range budget of $25.0M, Peppermint became a solid performer, 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) exhibits strategically placed narrative design, 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.
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.. Structural examination shows that 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 shows 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. Significantly, 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., reveals 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 structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. 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 6 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 Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Pierre Morel analyses, see Freelance, Taken and From Paris with Love.
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.