If the future of criminal justice is left in the control of artificial intelligence, what does that bode for humanity? Considering I can’t use ChatGPT to create a human image with an accurate number of fingers and toes, it doesn’t look too good. For Chris Pratt in Timur Bekmambetov’s sci-fi crime thriller, Mercy, his character’s fate is in the hands of an AI program that will be his judge, jury, and executioner.
Mercy stars Pratt as a detective on trial for murdering his wife. He’s strapped to a chair and given 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an AI judge played by Rebecca Ferguson. Not only that, but he helped design that very program and has been its greatest supporter until now.
Bekmambetov directs from a screenplay by Marc van Belle, and has designed the film for IMAX and 3D. The dangers of technology have been a pet theme for Bekmambetov, known for many digital thrillers such as “Screenlife” films such as Searching, Unfriended, and War of the Worlds.
SYNOPSIS: 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 determines his fate.
Also starring Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, and Kylie Rogers, Mercy opens in theaters January 23rd 2026 from Amazon MGM Studios.
