In 2029, a Los Angeles police officer finds himself on trial for the murder of his wife. His is the 19th case to be heard in the new 'Mercy Court'. Strapped to a special chair, Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) has just 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an A.I. judge (Rebecca Ferguson), or he will be executed.
Timur Bekmambetov continues to explore the 'screen life' genre with Mercy, only this time he's apparently weighing in on the Artificial Intelligence issue. Much like he did with Searching, Bekmambetov has his main character using screens to solve a crime, and in this case, prove his innocence. Pratt brings a likeability to Raven (great name!), but doesn't shy away from this troubled man's flaws. Whereas Rebecca Ferguson's portrayal of Maddox, the A.I. judge, can be a little uneven. At first she is perfectly cold and unemotional, but towards the end of the movie that begins to faulter, somewhat. Although it's definitely more the fault of the story than Ferguson, and it doesn't prevent her from having a disturbingly authoritative presence, even from her giant screen. Which, of course, makes for some rather entertaining interactions between the two leads, with one lording it over the other as they experience what is likely the worst day of their life.
Comparisons with Minority Report not withstanding, Bekmambetov does ask a lot of his audience here, in that he needs us to accept the ridiculous nature of the story. As is often the case with 'screen life' movies, the plot can be a little convenient in places, in order for the whole screen thing to work. Locations, travel times, and the availability of footage of every relevant moment, to name a few. But the bigger ask is that we accept the idea of a trial happening before the cops are even done with the crime scene. A fact that arguably makes Mercy more ridiculous than Minority Report. Yes, it is more exciting watching cops walk a scene. More cinematic than one guy sat in a room looking at photos, for sure. The crime scene is also a good jumping off point for Raven's partner, JAQ (Kali Reis), to begin investigating. It's just that Bekmambetov is clearly trying to ground this near future in some form of reality, and this quick turnaround from crime to trial feels like a step too far from believability.
That said, if you can get past this little detail, Mercy can be a tense and engaging thriller. Albeit a tad predictable. The two leads do a very good job of keeping things interesting, despite spending most of the movie confined to a single room, essentially unable to move. Something the 'real time' aspect certainly helps with. All of a sudden, Raven's 90 minutes to prove his innocence - as ridiculous as that might be - feels very short indeed. And it's interesting to watch Raven attempt to investigate his wife's murder as he would any other case, while also restricted and relying on the good will of those that may not be too keen to give it. There is also a surprising amount of action to what is essentially a courtroom drama, including a heart-pumping finale. It's a shame then that this is also where the movie really falls apart. Not only thanks to some irritatingly stupid decisions made by some of the characters, and a certain artificial intelligence's sudden susceptibility to human emotions, but also in the movie's inability to find a position on the issue of A.I. - in courtrooms or anywhere else.
As with all 'screen life' movies, Mercy is a little convenient in places, and it does fall apart towards the end. But it is also a tense and engaging crime thriller in which a man has a very real 90 minutes to prove his innocence, or face execution. So do we bow down to our A.I. overlords now, or later?
6/10
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