Mikes Film Talk

Director Timur Bekmambetov presents the 2026 dystopian police thriller Mercy. Despite feeling like a 99 minute commercial for AI (Artificial Intelligence) the film is quite entertaining. It should be. If Bekmambetov sounds familiar, you might well be a fan of the 2004/2006 Russian films Night Watch and Day Watch. I saw both courtesy of BlockBuster Video and instantly became a fan this man’s work.

He does a great job on Mercy. Taking a script penned by Marco van Belle, Timur manages to grab your attention from the first reel. *Side note on Marco van Belle: He has directed the legendary Brian Blessed in a short film. Titled Mr Bojagi. I stood right next to Blessed on the set of a Alfred Molina film. The Flash Gordon actor is just as imposing in real life as he is on-screen.*

Philip K Dick?

For a film that feels like a second cousin to Minority Report, Mercy could almost be a “missing” Philip K Dick story. Dick was a quirky writer who introduced us to: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, AKA; Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049. We Can Remember it For You Wholesale, AKA; Total Recall, both versions. It certainly has an “almost kin” sort of vibe going on. End result feels as though Minority Report and Blade Runner had a baby.

This is, like the real PKD books, science fiction with an intense dystopian feel. Although, it does also feel a tad like Escape From LA. Both films focus on Los Angeles as a crime ridden “hell hole.”

The Mercy Story

Los Angeles is a crime infested shell by crime and a rising amount of displaced homeless people. Criminals are taken care of via Artificial Intelligence courts. The judge and jury are an AI generated image with access to every camera, it seems, in the area.

The guilty have to prove their innocence in 90 minutes. Failure means execution. Detective Raven is in the death chair. His crime? Stabbing his wife Nicole to death. Can he prove his innocence?

The Mercy Cast

Chris Pratt is Detective Raven.

Rebecca Ferguson is Judge Maddox.

Kali Reis is JAQ Diallo.

Annabelle Wallis is Nicole Raven.

Chris Sullivan is Rob Nelson.

Kylie Rogers is Britt Raven.

Jeff Pierre is Patrick Burcke.

Rafi Gavron is Holt Charles.

Let’s Talk Mercy

It seems odd to be caught up in a story where the lead protagonist spends a lot of his time locked in a chair. Just as the fact that the other lead never leaves the computer screen. Now Pratt’s character does leave the chair and eventually takes a more active part in his release.

What’s amazing is that we find ourselves swaying this way and that throughout the AI heavy action. Initially we are, understandably so, distrustful of Ferguson’s judge. Later, as things pickup speed, we become almost enamoured of this computer driven construct.

One of the ideas that the film Mercy delivers very well is that AI is just that, artificial it may be, but it’s intelligence means it can learn. Adapt. *Of course as far back as T2 we have been “taught” that AI does learn. In the Terminator verse, this meant the AI entity became self aware and destroys the human race. (Well, depending on the when, humanity fights back.)

In Mercy our stage is smaller. Dealing with the Raven family and a neat tie in to the Mercy program itself.

Talking Point

Rather interestingly, the idea of having Artificial Intelligence run the legal system, the film attempts to show both sides of the same legal coin. By removing the human element of the legal system, it promises to streamline the process. The accused has 90 minutes to clear their name. They have full use of the court’s facilities. Sadly, most of the accused will not have the extensive knowledge that Det Raven has. In essence, the new system turns into a sort of kangaroo court, AKA; a railroad court, where the person in the chair is easily found guilty. The last step is the execution of said accused.

It Works

Everything here works. Despite the over two hour runtime (139 minutes.) the film works. If one joins the spirit of the thing, the film does not feel overly long. Wondering who the killer really is, we hope it’s not Raven. He is an imperfect husband and father but instinctively he doesn’t feel like a killer.

The interactions between the AI Judge and the detective all work well. The crime scenes feel like a riff of the old PS3 game Heavy Rain. A detective in that verse uses a computer to find forensic clues. When Jaq takes Raven through the crime scene the graphics immediately reminded me of the, at that time, ground breaking video game.

The Verdict

Mercy earns an easy 4 stars out of 5. Other reviewers have pointed out the film does indeed have plot holes, uneven pacing and thin logic patterns. However, the performances of Ferguson and Pratt more than compensate for this issues. It is streaming right now on Prime/MGM +. Head on over and check it out, just over 2 hours long, it will be worth your time.

The Trailer