Mercy Review: Lord Have Mercy

Dir: Timur Bekmambetov

Release Date: 2026

“Set in the near future, a detective accused of murdering his wife has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge.”

Chris Pratt is a difficult man to like.

On the one hand, he is the star of the best by-product of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Guardians of the Galaxy.

On the other hand, he’s repeatedly ruined iconic animated characters, such as Mario and Garfield.

Suffice to say, his career is hardly impressive outside of his superhero blockbusters, and Mercy is no different.

Mercy’s premise is very simple. The film is set in a near-dystopian future of 2029, where the police can kill just about anyone (doesn’t sound that far-fetched) and fly around on

quad-copters (if only).

It starts with Pratt’s character, helpfully also called Chris, waking up in

a chair as he awaits trial in the Mercy Court.

FUN FACT: There is a countdown clock onscreen for the majority of the film that kindly lets you know how long you’ve got until you get to stop watching

What makes this Mercy Court unique is that the judge, jury, and executioner is Artificial Intelligence. AI has understandably started creeping its way into cinema, both creatively and as a plot device, but something about Mercy seems to manage it differently.

It does not portray AI as solely good or evil, it manages to make you hate the idea of it, while also humanising it and inhibiting sympathy.

This is likely achieved by having a familiar face playing this AI system, in Rebecca Ferguson. Her facial expressions are minimal, but highly effective when made.

Don’t get it twisted though, Mercy is objectively a bad film. It is not worth the cinema fee,

and is only deserving of a watch if there are no other films available.

FUN FACT: Chris Pratt’s real-life father-in-law is Arnie, which is the closest he will ever get to being an action hero

It will come as no surprise when it arrives on Amazon Prime before the month is over. And yet, there is something about how it is presented that manages to make it quite charming.

Whether that is because of how contained it is in its set and narrative, or the fact that it’s sometimes just easier to watch a film that doesn’t require you to think. Whatever it is, it works for Mercy.

FAVOURITE CHARACTER:

Chris Raven’s father-in-law for not wanting to talk to Chris Pratt at any point

FAVOURITE MOMENT:

Anytime that somebody got to use a quad-copter

FAVOURITE LINE:

“Human or AI, we all make mistakes” – absolute nonsense

FAVOURITE DEATH:

Just the prospect of Chris Pratt being executed at any moment