Mercy (2026)
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
Premise: Set in the near future, Los Angeles has created a new court officiated by artificial intelligence (Rebecca Ferguson). A police officer (Chris Pratt) is tried for the murder of his wife. He has ninety minutes to prove his innocence.
What Works: Mercy has an intriguing concept. It imagines a credible future in which a surplus of crime has led to the creation of an artificial intelligence court system that is specifically designed to expedite cases, with each trial lasting just ninety minutes. Furthermore, the AI judge has access to all public and private electronic data, creating the impression of omniscience. The mystery of Mercy proves compelling. A detective is accused of murder. In these kinds of movies the protagonist is usually innocent but the truth of this case is opaque. Mercy is a focused work of spectacle and suspense and the filmmaking has a honed efficiency. It’s breathless filmmaking that keeps plowing forward and is very entertaining. What’s especially impressive is the way the filmmakers have made this material cinematic. Mercy is fundamentally about a guy strapped to a chair and talking to a screen. The AI courtroom has been imagined as a hologram which allows the filmmakers to include a lot of interesting visuals.
What Doesn’t: Mercy is all sorts of ridiculous. The story unfolds in nearly real time which creates a compelling ticking clock plot device but also strains the credibility. Chris Pratt’s character is restrained to a chair but his colleagues run around Los Angeles investigating his case. Characters get around the city at impossible speed and the plot is full of unlikely coincidences. The filmmakers also play fast and loose with the internal logic of their premise. The AI judge calculates the suspect’s likelihood of guilt on a percentage scale. Pratt’s character has to get his guilt score below eighty percent. The idea of calculating guilt this way is absurd. The opening of the film establishes that the AI judge relies entirely on logic and evidence. Instead of sticking with that analytical disposition, the judge gradually demonstrates a grasp of nuance and human fallibility, undercutting the novelty of the central idea. The incredulous parts of Mercy are consistent with this kind of action moviemaking but it’s disappointing because the film was poised to say something provocative about artificial intelligence and the justice system. The filmmakers sidestep all of that for the sake of popcorn entertainment.
Bottom Line: Mercy is a dumb version of Minority Report. This is a silly movie but it’s also very entertaining. The story is paced so rapidly that Mercy charges through its many inconsistencies.
Episode: #1085 (February 1, 2026)