By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
"MERCY" PUTS JUSTICE ON TRIAL AS AI TAKES THE JUDGE'S SEAT
Like it or not, Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. How much you'll enjoy the AI, sci-fi action thriller
"Mercy," from director and co-writer
Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted," and "War of the Worlds"), may hinge on your ability to suspend disbelief--and your willingness to roll with Chris Pratt, who gives a committed and grounded performance as Los Angeles Detective Chris Raven, a man accused of murdering his wife, Nicole (Annabelle Wallis, "Mutiny" and TV's "Star Trek: Discovery").
The film's central hook is both clever and chilling: detective Raven has just 90 minutes to prove his innocence to AI Judge Maddox, Rebecca Ferguson ("Dune: Part Three," and "Silo"). Judge Maddox isn't just presiding over the case--she controls the rules, the timeline, and detective Raven's fate. What could possibly go wrong when justice is handed over to an algorithm?
Bekmambetov amps up the techno-paranoia, using sleek, high-tech imagery and immersive visuals that play especially well in IMAX and 3D. The film's futuristic interfaces, holographic reconstructions, and digital overlays are smartly designed and visually clever, creating a world where surveillance is seamless and privacy is obsolete.
The technology isn't just window dressing; it's a storytelling device that keeps the audience actively piecing together clues alongside detective Raven.
Much of Pratt's performance is deceptively restrained. For a sizable portion of the film, Raven is centered in a chair, retracing his steps for Judge Maddox. It's an interesting gamble for an actor known for physicality and charm, and Pratt mostly pulls it off, conveying desperation, grief, and mounting paranoia with limited movement. As the walls close in, so does the tension.
The people detective Raven turns to include friends who may or may not be complicit, but add layers of doubt and unease.
There is his friend Rob Nelson (Chris Sullivan, TV's "The Rookie North") and an acquaintance named Patrick Burke (Jeff Pierre, TV's "Walker"), who Nicole was seeing before she died.
Every interaction feels transactional, as if loyalty itself has been commodified by a system that records everything but understands nothing.
Adding another intriguing wrinkle is the question of whether there are clandestine maneuverings within detective Raven's own squad. His partner, Jacqueline "Jaq" Diallo, (a strong Kali Reis, "Resident Evil" and TV's "True Detective”) may be his greatest ally, or another cog in a system that has already decided his guilt.
"Mercy" smartly plants seeds of internal betrayal and institutional self-preservation, raising the possibility that the AI judge isn't the only thing working against him.
By the final act, the movie picks up speed and then, frankly, goes a little off the rails. The action ramps up, logic occasionally bends, and "Mercy" turns more into spectacle.
Still, the audience I watched it with in IMAX in Sac town seemed to love the ride. The premise, geek-tech appeal, and timely AI intrigue kept the crowd and, me engaged.
But, if this or anything similar ever becomes the future of court-room justice--measured in probability scores, and countdown clocks--then let me off the bus now.
"Mercy" may not answer all its own questions, but it succeeds in asking the right ones, leaving audiences entertained, unsettled, and wondering just how much power we are willing to hand over to the machines.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Check Out This Trailer For
"MERCY"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
