How Did This Even Make It To Theaters?!

PLOT: 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.

REVIEW: Despite it not having anything to do with catching future murderers, it’s hard to see the trailer for Mercy and not immediately think of Minority Report. Something about the visual language for the film feels familiar, and the whole “person who’s part of the system trying to prove their innocence” aspect. But instead of Tom Cruise, we’ve got Chris Pratt, and instead of a smart action/thriller, we’ve got… Mercy.

The story of Mercy follows Chris Pratt’s Chris Raven, a detective who’s on trial for his wife’s murder. He must now prove his innocence in front of an AI judge, and he only has 90 minutes to do so. He gets to utilize all the surveillance that exists to try, and so we’re given bits and pieces of the story as he combs over the footage. Most of the film is just Pratt sitting in a chair as footage soars past him. Kind of hard getting invested when we’re just watching our protagonist look at screens.

Chris Pratt has fallen into the category of “action star who plays the same role in most of his movies.” There’s nothing inherently wrong about that, but it’s past the point of stale and makes his films much less interesting as a result. Doesn’t help that he seems to be sleepwalking through the movie. Thankfully, Rebecca Ferguson is always great, and it’s always fun to see her do her thing. Unfortunately, her character is far too humanized and gets a bit ridiculous. Nearly all the other performances are over the top and eyeroll-worthy.

AI is a very popular topic right now, so it’s interesting to see how it’s utilized in the story here. It just doesn’t really feel like it’s fully taken advantage of. This feels more like what a teen boy thinks AI is, versus actually using it in a smart and provocative way. Most of the evidence is found through pure luck that the movie pins on “a hunch.” No, it’s just bad writing. Most of the reveals are handled poorly, and the final act is absolutely laughable. I could see someone getting some “so-bad-it’s-good” enjoyment out of it, if it weren’t so damn boring most of the time.

From Night Watch to Wanted,  Timur Bekmambetov has always had a very fun visual style and kinetic way of shooting action. He goes a little too CGI-happy for my liking, but he’s often thinking very outside of the box when it comes to his action sequences. I’m genuinely not even sure why this was presented in IMAX 3D, as this feels like a streaming movie. They don’t take advantage of the 3D, and it’s mostly just screens whizzing around and Pratt/Ferguson having a bit of dimension to them as they talk directly to the camera. The little bits of action are short-lived, and it feels like a disservice to even call this an action movie.

Let’s be honest: this is a January release starring Chris Pratt. Whenever a big star has a film dropped in this time period, it’s easy to set some low expectations, as January is notoriously a “dump month.” Somehow, Mercy manages to sink even lower than those expectations, however. The twist is stupid, and the action is so disconnected. I had a hard time even caring about Pratt’s journey and just wanted him out of that stupid chair and doing something. Not even Ferguson could save this one, and it probably should have just gone straight to streaming.

Mercy is playing in theaters on January 23rd, 2026.

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