The year has finally begun and we’re in for some very interesting original films and one of them is Mercy, starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. When you think of a movie like this one you probably have very low expectation and don’t really expect much from it. Well, that was my case, I went to see this movie with the expectation below the floor and honestly, it quite surprised me positively, even though the bar might just bee too low…
In the near future, a detective stands on trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced A.I. Judge he once championed, before it determines his fate.
As a big fan of films like Searching and Messing, I must confess that this film follows pretty much the same trajectory. It’s a thriller packed with plot twists that are shown solely through a computer screen, technically. And yes, the entirety of Mercy takes place inside a courtroom — but not just any courtroom, rather one where the judge is AI and a lot of technology is involved. It’s really debatable whether this film is pro- or anti-AI, but in my view, I would say it’s anti, because by the end it feels like the film doesn’t believe the use of AI in courtrooms is really necessary, or at least that’s what I took from it.
But, well, the only good thing this movie has to offer is the incredible performances by both Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. Chris plays Chris (unironically), a desperate, abusive husband who’s trying to redeem himself in some way. Rebecca is literally just an AI; she doesn’t have to demonstrate any type of emotion throughout the entire film, and I’m pretty sure this was her easiest work in her career. But the thing is, she’s just so good that somehow you can still enjoy her character. Besides those two actors, you won’t remember anyone from the rest of the cast.
It’s so funny that this film takes place in 2029 and we just KNOW that the world will not look like that in just 3 years… but honestly it was interesting to see this world. It’s clearly a high budget film so the VFX is genuinely not that awful but sometimes the thing is that they force the usage of it. The whole third act sequence felt like it was just them trying to bring a big scale action sequence just for the sake of the money and I feel like this wasn’t the type of movie for that to be completely honest.
There are elements to enjoy, but overall Mercy is a solid, engaging murder-mystery–style thriller, elevated by strong performances from Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. While the third act doesn’t entirely stick the landing, it still delivers an entertaining experience at the movies.
Mercy releases in theaters on January 23.
