It’s always a shame when a filmmaker and cast you genuinely like, come together on a film that isn’t just disappointing, it’s also kind of concerning. But such is the case with Amazon MGM’s Mercy, a high-tech, sci-fi legal thriller that is basically the ultimate extension of director Timur Bekmambetov’s “screenlife” movement. Screenlife is a style that utilizes computer screens, tablets, etc., as the primary method of visual storytelling. Bekmambetov has been involved with some great films in this genre, such as Searching, Profile, and Missing, but also some turds like War of the Worlds. Unfortunately, Mercy falls into the latter category; a misguided effort that doesn’t warn of the dangers of AI in our justice system, but gives it a pass without much thought.
The cast of Mercy is led by Chris Pratt, who plays LAPD detective Chris Raven. Chris wakes up, strapped to a chair, facing AI Judge Maddox, played by a woefully underused Rebecca Ferguson. Chris, in a drunken stupor, is told that he has 90 minutes to prove that he didn’t murder his wife (Annabelle Wallis), otherwise he’ll be found guilty and executed on the spot. This is, ironically, the “Mercy” program, which Chris actually championed. Now he’s in the hot seat and facing the wrath of an AI court.
To prove he’s innocent, Chris is given access to…well, anything he wants. This is the most sinister aspect of Marco van Belle’s screenplay. Maddox can crack into the personal social media accounts of Chris’ daughter (Kylie Rogers), any phone records he wants, any cameras anywhere seemingly in the entire state. Basically, if you’ve got a smartphone or a Ring device (sold, unsurprisingly, by Amazon), then Chris can get into it and use it to free himself.
Privacy, much? Forget about it, and the script never engages with whether this is okay to be caught up in this extreme surveillance apparatus. Not only that, but it doesn’t explore deeply whether it’s even right to lean into AI as part of the justice system. It sort of waffles on that question. Chris utilizes his years of investigative experience to confound Maddox, while also using his partner Jaq (Kali Reis, electric in an underwritten role) as his blunt instrument since he’s immobile. The Mercy program is framed as this thing that might be good, it might be world-destroying, who knows? The film refuses to take a stance and that is just weak sauce.
Mercy largely unfolds in real-time like an episode of 24, and that becomes a problem when the action isn’t that exciting and you’ve got Pratt communicating through a computer screen. Bekmambetov has always been on the cutting edge of visual technology. I look at his mind-blowing early work in films like Daywatch, Nightwatch, and Wanted (which featured a much more enjoyable Pratt in a supporting role), while Mercy incorporates underwhelming 3D that fails to enhance the film at all. It still looks like it should be streaming on Prime Video and not shown in a movie theater. Considering the film is basically a commercial for Amazon anyway, it’s surprising that isn’t the route that was taken.
Mercy opens in theaters on January 23rd.
