In the near future, a detective stands on trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced A.I. Judge he once championed, before it determines his fate.
Chuck says:
Smacking of Steven Spielberg’s overlooked masterpiece “Minority Report,” Timur Bekmambetov’s “Mercy” also features a law enforcement officer trapped in a legal system he helped create, trying desperately to prove his innocence. At the heart of the Tom Cruise feature were questions of free will and predetermination. Here, the script from writer Marco van Belle, is more a straightforward police procedural, and a rather static one at that, what with most of the action taking place in a futuristic courtroom, lorded over by a looming AI judge. And while it contains occasionally inspired plot twists and keeps our attention during its first two acts, the decision to opt for a by-the-numbers, action-based ending clearly signals the writer ran out of inspiration before reaching the finish line.
A conservative’s nightmare come true, the year 2029 is a time of great upheaval and rampant violence. The solution is an automated justice system dubbed Mercy, a one-stop judicial shop in which Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson, slumming) presides. This AI construct, borrowing its aesthetic from the Wizard of Oz, appears as a massive hologram, looming over the accused. She (it?) serves as judge, jury and executioner, having already efficiently dispatched of 18 wrong doers after a 90-minute trail. While appearing in front of her, the defendant is strapped to a chair and is tasked with proving themselves innocent before the clock winds down. If they fail, their death comes quickly.
Those who stand accused have access to every single piece of digital data at Maddox’s disposal. Security camera footage, phone records, internet files and any other electronic record that exists can be pulled up. The 19th defendant, officer Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), is going to need every bit of this information and a bit more to prove his innocence. You see, he’s been charged with killing his wife and waking up after being black out drunk, he doesn’t remember a thing.
Hitchcock got a lot of mileage out of the “wrong man” scenario, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he would have done with this premise. Playing out in real time, Bekmambetov keeps the story humming along and the viewer hooked as well, no mean feat what with his leading man trapped in a chair and only his counterpart’s face on screen most of the time.
Credit Pratt for giving an engaging, reactive performance, displaying vulnerability, anger, desperation and grief in equally convincing measures. As for Ferguson, she does what she can, though she’s severely limited where being emotive is concerned. Her character’s limited emotional range leaves her with the option of either issuing a stern warning or measured instructions. Why Bekmambetov didn’t cast Tilly Norwood, the recently created AI actress, in this part seems like a missed opportunity. Could have been a breakthrough role…
As Raven has Maddox call up video footage, drone cameras, e-mail records and a myriad of other pieces of electronic evidence, his troubled history comes to light, the many revelations, intriguing. Going an entire hour before I checked the time is a testament as to how engrossed I was by it all.
However, one twist too many during the rote final 30 minutes steals the movie of most of its impact. Figuring out who’s pulling all the strings behind the curtain isn’t that difficult. And resorting to the laziness of using a car chase and no-holds barred action finale proves all the more disappointing after such a promising beginning.
Still, as a cautionary tale, “Mercy” is effective, though at times heavy handed. Warnings concerning our dependency on new technology have always been brushed aside in the pursuit of “progress.” Our relationship with AI will not be any different, its benefits eventually nullified by its drawbacks. The true fiction in movies such as “Mercy” and “Report” is their characters actually take heed of the flaws that are exposed and then rein in their respective constructs. If, only…
2 1/2 Stars
