Mercy Review: The Premise Is Terrifying, The Message Is Worse
Mercy Explained: Why Chris Pratt’s AI Thriller Falls Apart explores how Timur Bekmambetov’s high-concept sci-fi thriller undermines its own premise. Set in 2029, Mercy imagines an AI-powered justice system that has replaced traditional courts — and claims to have reduced violent crime by 65%. On paper, it’s the perfect setup for a tense, morally complex thriller. In practice, it becomes something far stranger.
Chris Pratt stars as Detective Chris Raven, accused of murdering his wife and given just 90 minutes to prove his innocence before an AI delivers its verdict. While the film raises fascinating questions about surveillance, state power, and artificial intelligence in criminal justice, it repeatedly avoids engaging with them. Instead, Mercy seems more impressed by the technology itself than concerned about its consequences.
Rebecca Ferguson delivers the film’s strongest performance as Maddox, the AI system acting as judge, jury, and executioner. Her unsettling balance of human mimicry and robotic precision highlights what Mercy could have been — a meaningful interrogation of algorithmic justice and empathy. Unfortunately, the narrative logic collapses under arbitrary rules, ignored evidence, and a deeply regressive political outlook.
This breakdown examines why Mercy’s VR-inspired action and desktop cinema innovations can’t save a film that ultimately embraces the authoritarian future it pretends to critique.
0:00 Mercy’s AI Court Premise
0:40 Chris Pratt’s 90-Minute Trial
1:30 Rebecca Ferguson’s AI Performance
2:15 The Film’s Political Blind Spot
2:55 Why Mercy Ultimately Fails
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