In the near future, a detective (Chris Pratt) stands on trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced A.I. Judge (Rebecca Ferguson) he once championed, before it determined his fate.
What We Thought:
Mercy isn’t the most groundbreaking, overly original sci-fi film I’ve ever seen, but it reminded me of a lot of things I do like so I had fun with it. It’s Minority Report and The Terminal List and Ambulance all wrapped into one so that’s cool. Plus I like Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson so it’s an easy enough watch because of them.
I mention Minority Report because it has a similar futuristic judge/jury/executioner vibe to it. In 2029 Los Angeles, AI is used to clear or convict criminals. They have a certain amount of time to bring forth whatever evidence they need to clear their names. Chris Pratt plays a cop who is an early advocate for the technology, but finds himself in the defendant’s chair accused of killing his wife. He must use everything available to him, videos, phone calls, emails and more to prove his innocence opposite Ferguson’s AI judge character.
For the bulk of the film it’s a one room drama with Pratt and Ferguson going against one another. Supporting characters are there to provide backstory/character development and the evidence Pratt needs. The third act becomes a big over-the-top action set piece ala Ambulance through the streets of Los Angeles.
It’s also similar to Jack Carr’s The Terminal List book franchise and Amazon Prime adaptation because Chris Pratt plays a man accused of killing his wife in that who needs to clear his name. In the books (not the series yet) Pratt’s character of James Reece relies on AI to help him with his mission. I’ve read all those books so Mercy being similar is A-OK with me.
If you are looking for a serviceable drama Mercy will work for you. I wanted a bit more action because Pratt handles it well and I liked Director Timur Bekmambetov’s film Wanted which had a ton of action in it. If you like any of the projects I’ve mentioned and enjoy Pratt and/or Ferguson give it a shot.
The Nerds Templar 