‘Mercy’ Blu-ray Review
Stars: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, Kylie Rogers | Written by Marco van Belle | Directed by Timur Bekmanbetov
Director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) returns with this high-concept, very timely sci-fi thriller, starring Chris Pratt as a detective facing an A.I. murder trial. It gets a little wobbly in the final minutes, but for the most part, it’s a surprisingly enjoyable, fast-paced, and sharply written thrill-ride.
Set in Los Angeles in the near future, Mercy posits a world where an A.I. program called Mercy has recently taken over all criminal juries for serious crimes. As the story begins, LAPD Detective Chris Raven wakes up to find himself strapped into an electric chair, while an onscreen A.I. avatar (Rebecca Ferguson as Judge Maddox) informs him that he is on trial for the murder of his wife (Annabelle Wallis) and that he has just 90 minutes to present his case, or he’ll be found guilty and executed.
Raven’s case doesn’t get off to a great start, partly because he’s enormously hungover and can’t remember his actions of the previous night, and partly because all the available evidence (doorbell cam footage, etc) points pretty damningly in his direction. Fortunately, as part of the program, Raven has the ability to call up any information he needs, so he begins investigating his case, with the clock ticking.
The script, written by Marco van Belle, does an excellent job of structuring the mystery, throwing in multiple twists and turns and layering the action so that the single location never feels restrictive. Similarly, Bekmambetov maintains an impressive sense of pace, in line with the ticking clock, so the story moves at a brisk pace throughout.
It might seem that a film like Mercy would be short on action, but Bekmambetov pulls out a belter of a set-piece in the final act, involving an extremely tense, high-speed freeway chase that will have you on the edge of your seat. The use of multiple cameras (often with drones), coupled with some skilful editing, adds considerably to the excitement in the action scenes, cementing Bekmambetov’s pre-existing reputation as a superb action director.
As for the performances, Pratt steps away from his usual wisecracking, lighthearted screen persona and delivers something much darker and more interesting, to strong effect. His character is far from perfect, which makes a refreshing change and adds a well-needed note of ambiguity.
Ferguson is equally good as Judge Maddox – there can often be a coldness in her performances, and that’s used to excellent effect here. Accordingly, she is simultaneously chilling and unexpectedly funny (especially when the A.I. learns how to use humour), and the tiny reactions she does when she’s meant to be processing something crucial are very effective.
If Mercy has a problem, it’s only that the closing minutes go a little overboard when it comes to delivering an earnest message about the perils of handing everything over to A.I., whilst, at the same time, not taking the expected stand either, because after all, the A.I. overlords are coming for us all, sooner or later. To that end, there’s a last-minute twist that feels a little bit like a cop-out, and doesn’t quite land the way it was presumably intended to do.
Mercy lands on Blu-ray with a solid 1080p transfer, presented in widescreen, and it’s exactly the kind of clean, no-nonsense presentation you’d hope for. On the audio side, you’re well covered too – there’s an English Dolby Atmos track leading the charge, alongside DTS-HD Master Audio options in French, French Canadian, Dutch, Japanese and Spanish. There’s also an English descriptive track, plus subtitle options in English, French, French Canadian, Dutch, Japanese, Nederlands and Spanish, so accessibility isn’t an issue here.
In terms of performance, the disc does its job nicely. The image is sharp, the colours hold up well, and there are no obvious compression issues or audio hiccups to pull you out of the experience.
But then we get to the extras… or rather, the complete lack of them. And yeah, it’s a letdown. No commentary, no behind-the-scenes featurettes, no cast or crew interviews – nothing. For collectors and physical media fans, this is one of those barebones releases that feels like a missed opportunity, especially when even a small batch of extras could’ve added some real value.
**** 4/5
In short, Mercy is an entertaining, fast-paced sci-fi thriller, enlivened by strong performances, a well-written script (the mystery is very satisfying) and a concept that is both timely and provocative. The film is out now, in the US, from Amazon MGM Studios.
