Mercy, the recent sci-fi thriller starring Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Rebecca Ferguson (Dune: Part 2), is now available to purchase on Digital platforms, 25 days after it first hit in theaters.
Pratt plays a detective named Chris Raven who is accused of murdering his wife, and only has 90 minutes to present his defence and prove his innocence... to an A.I. judge played by Ferguson. If he fails to do so, he will be executed immediately. As the trial progresses, it becomes apparent that Judge Maddox - technology that Raven had a hand in creating - may not be as impartial as she first seems.
Expectations weren't particularly high for this one after a couple of lacklustre trailers, but critics really let Mercy have it when the review embargo lifted last month, and the movie was called an early contender for worst film of the year in several write-ups.
Mercy is sitting at 24% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 171 reviews, but it's worth noting that it does boast a much higher Audience Score of 83%.
The movie did not fare well at the box office, either, taking in just $52.7 million against its $60 million budget.
“This was a departure for me,” Pratt said during the movie's NYCC panel. “He is a homicide detective in the near future, and a guy who has seen a lot, been through a lot. He’s part of this special new Mercy program that they’ve designed, essentially using AI to modify their core system to be more efficient, and to face the rise in capital crime in this version of Los Angeles. They just want to get these murderers off the street and send a message.”
“There is something new for Chris in this movie. It’s his next iteration. He plays a dark and very vulnerable character in a very dramatic story,” added director Timur Bekmambetov. “[Chris is] famous for his action movies, but playing a dramatic role, and he’s literally electric chair for 90 minutes. Kali is playing his partner, helping him, we think. And Rebecca is an AI judge. She’s smart, and we will discover her heart.”
Do you intend to give Mercy a go on Digital despite the negative reviews? Let us know in the comments section.
In the near future, a detective (Chris Pratt) stands on trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced A.I. Judge (Rebecca Ferguson) he once championed, before it determines his fate.