Once again an example of critics injecting their politics into movies. Peppermint isn’t high art by any means but it’s a solid vengeance flick that should be judged with that in mind. The movie is well constructed, entertaining and well acted, yet it only gets an 11% average review by the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience rates it at 74%.
Here’s a few examples of what the critics had to say:
Alternate-reality Trumpian racial panic where MS13-inspired street gangs are a global threat somewhere on the scale of HYDRA. The shambling end result plays like a Lifetime movie conceived by Steve Bannon. – Bob Chipman – Geek
Peppermint is jaw-droppingly ugly, horrendously violent, implicitly racist and routinely handled. – David Stratton – The Australian
And my favorite:
The big issue: What a horrible time for a movie about a white lady indiscriminately gunning down legions of Latino men. – Sean Collier
So it appears the real reason for the bad reviews was not so much the quality of the movie but the fact that drug cartel consisted mostly of Latinos. How dare they give the impression that Latino gangs are often involved in drug sales and violence; everyone knows that’s not true.
Just for kicks, I went back to Rotten Tomatoes did a search on The GodFather, another movie that shows members of an ethnic group involved in criminal activities. The critic’s rating was 98%.
Here are some of The GodFather reviews:
Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s bestseller remains the great American epic of the immigrant dream turned family business. – Sean Axmaker – Stream on Demand
To permit us a glimpse at The Mob, with all of its ethnic insularity, is like giving a chronic gambler a chance to wander above the false mirrors that overlook every casino. – Gene Siskel – Chicago Tribune
With all due respect to this 1972 classic, Vizzini was right: Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line. – Kevin A. Ranson Movie Crypt.com
So I guess the rule is that it’s OK to make a movie that shows bad Italians but it’s not OK to make a movie that shows bad Latinos.
Reviews should be about the movie; it’s construction, it’s look, feel and atmosphere, the acting and most important, whether or not it was entertaining.
You might not like it’s politics, but Peppermint is an entertaining movie and if the critics had any integrity, it would have received a much higher score.
