Two of the hottest topics you could mention in a room today are the rise of A.I .computing and the jurisprudence of the American police system. In Mercy, director Timur Bekmambetov uses both subjects to make another case for his recent storytelling obsession known as Screen Life. That decision is simultaneously brilliant and flawed, giving its audience a lightning-fast adrenaline blast of an action-thriller, with a moral compass that doesn’t quite compute.
Told roughly in real-time, the narrative crux to Amazon-MGM Studios‘ Mercy’s quest is proving the innocence of Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt). Being tried by the titular justice program he helped pilot, Det. Raven must defend himself against the charge of murdering his wife (Annabelle Wallis). With only an Artificial Intelligence as his judge, jury, and executioner (Rebecca Ferguson), our law man is strapped into a chair, with full God’s Eye access to all of the LAPD’s resources.
If he can’t negate his guilt within the preset threshold, he will be executed. Naturally a lot is riding on the line, and the stakes surprisingly escalate to places one may not have assumed…provided they haven’t seen the trailer for Mercy. Even with some of the surprises spoiled in the marketing, Timur Bekmambetov and writer Marco van Belle do lay down the foundation for a thrilling and twisted, but overall familiar tale.
Mercy finds clever ways to leave its setting, while still remaining a single location thriller.
The most reductive way to describe Mercy’s core concept is that it’s Tom Cruise’s Minority Report journey, but with Detective Anderton glued to his workstation for 95% of the chase. That may not be the most encouraging summary for potential viewers on the fence, but this picture adds some flare to the “man in a chair” device that it calls its home. And make no mistake, Chris Pratt’s Detective Raven is confined to this chair for almost the entire movie.
For some reason this A.I. run courtroom likes to show visual models of potential catastrophes, as well as adding wind effects to its proceedings. While it doesn’t make a lick of sense in the realm of realism, it helps the world of Mercy come alive while its hero doomscrolls through evidence, as well as when he calls witnesses or allies to aid his investigation.
What could have been the greatest challenge to this story turns out to be easily addressed, as those phone calls are lifelines into the world outside. Helping move along a well-constructed mystery that drops a couple of twists that shock while making sense, the shock and awe isn’t merely a distraction meant to cover up plot holes. After 2025’s War of the Worlds showed us how not to make a Screen Life picture, Timur Bekmambetov’s experience with the subgenre resurfaced at the right time to show that not all is lost.
Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson compel the audience, in separate performances.
It can be assumed that Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson sadly did not get to work together on Mercy. With Ferguson’s Judge Maddox presiding over a court case so fast the folks at Law and Order would be breathless, her lack of physical presence in the room doesn’t rob her performance of urgency.
There are times where you can even notice the subtle ways she enunciates a sentence in a way that a machine would, which adds even more texture to this judge’s character. Meanwhile, Chris Pratt continues to show off solid dramatic acting chops, similar to his work on Prime Video’s The Terminal List. The leading man upholds his end of the room with equal aplomb, as being confined to a chair and barking commands isn’t exactly an actor’s dream role.
Treating his interactions with Ring camera footage as seriously as he would a flesh and blood actor, Pratt’s years acting against CGI creations pay off in a way similar to that of Brendan Fraser’s work on The Mummy movies. This unfortunately leaves some of the supporting roles a bit flat in comparison, while never outright providing a Mercy performance that doesn’t totally work. Unfortunately, despite the hard work on all sides of the acting spectrum, there’s one piece of this puzzle that doesn’t totally click into place.
Mercy works best as Screenlife action-thriller, even if its story’s moral doesn’t fully compute.
Were it not for the fact that Mercy is examining the subjects of A.I. and proper policing at such a flashpoint in our modern life, the picture may have had some more grace in how it handles things. Always compelling, the narrative never loses steam, chugging along with clever twists and a Ramin Djawadi score that reminds us why he’s so in demand. It could be the perfect early year blockbuster, and if you turn a blind eye towards its story based faults, it still can be.
That being said, Mercy never arrives at a firm stance on either issue. The ethics of the Mercy system, its flaws and strengths, are never totally understood by the characters at play. Everyone just kind of goes along with the moment, and we’re never allowed to take a beat and fully ponder what’s going on. That’s time that could be spent showing Detective Raven a computer model of a potential disaster that could arise from the day’s proceedings.
For moviegoers who felt pre-programmed to dislike Mercy, there’s a surprising amount of fun that can be had. The availability of immersive formats like IMAX 3D and 4DX also help add some more adrenaline to the mix, as large format and third-dimensional enhancements play up the scale of this very caper. Timur Bekmambetov’s reunion with his Wanted co-star plays as slick and as speedy as one could want; and who doesn’t want an action movie that feels like it’s flying on greased rails?
The only real problem is when the ride’s over in a movie theater, you usually want some sort of hook to hold onto in post-viewing conversation. With Mercy, the most you might get is why there’s a wind machine in a court room, or how this would-be examination of future fears still had time for convenient Amazon product placement. If you can comfortably look past those sorts of issues, then the rest of the thrill ride shouldn’t be a problem.
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