NOW IN THEATERS! It’s true, life is easier with artificial intelligence. So why not place our good old “innocent until proven guilty” justice system in its hands? Easy peasy, right? Plus, A.I. is 100% accurate… right? Case in point: director Timur Bekmambetov’s feature film for MGM/Amazon, Mercy, written by Marco van Belle.
Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) is a true-believer cop in the not-so-distant future. After seeing so many of the guilty get away with violent crimes, Raven helps create Mercy Court. Here, an A.I. judge (Rebecca Ferguson) presides over a 90-minute trial where the accused must prove their innocence or be executed then and there. Fortunately, the accused has access to all the collected evidence, surveillance cameras, and any cell phone cameras in the area. If the accused can drop their level of reasonable doubt to 92%, the A.I. judge will find them innocent. Unfortunately, now, Detective Raven finds himself at Mercy Court, racing against time to prove that he didn’t kill his wife, Nicole (Annabelle Wallis). Working against Raven are his explosive temper, Nicole kicking him out, and video footage of him entering the house shortly before the murder. Raven’s defense? He loved his wife and blacked out after a night of drinking and punching out a cop.
Chris Pratt stars as Chris Raven in MERCY, from Amazon MGM Studios.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
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“…Raven finds himself at Mercy Court, racing against time to prove that he didn’t kill his wife, Nicole.”
Ultimately, I had fun with Mercy, but the expensive 3D IMAX experience is not worth the ticket price. If you’re a fan of TV procedurals like CSI or Law & Order, you’ll also have fun. You just need to overlook a million plot holes and a double twist ending.
Outside of the whole A.I. thing, the fun is sifting through evidence, interrogating witnesses, and getting to the point of believing Raven did it. The only other suspect — Nicole’s lover — may or may not have done it by the halfway point. I liked the countdown aspect of the mystery and the question of whether we should allow A.I. to administer justice. I’m pretty sure the film is anti-artificial intelligence, but it does make a compelling case for it.
Chris Pratt is Chris Pratt. Rebecca Ferguson is always easy on the eyes. They’re basically seated throughout the entire movie. Mercy is stupid fun with a few eye-rolling moments. It’s enough to make me want to see it again, but it’s basically harmless. Don’t spend your money on something harmless. Wait for Prime Video.
