(**1/2)
“Do you honestly think that I killed my wife?”
At the beginning of the ground-breaking horror film 28 Days Later, a bicycle courier (Cillian Murphy) is involved in a near-fatal accident, comatose and wakes up in a hospital bed to discover that London is empty. A shocker opening. This cyber thriller, which delves into AI becoming a judge, jury and executioner, uses a similar gimmick: Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy) awakens and finds he’s in a world of trouble. He’s facing Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson, A House of Dynamite), an artificial intelligence (AI) entity that’s charged him with murder. Wow. The murder of his wife (Annabelle Wallis). Wow, wow. And if he can’t acquit himself in 90 minutes, he’ll be executed. Wow, wow, wow!
Screenwriter Marco van Belle, who’s written short films but not feature ones, concocted that fairly compelling premise. But his lack of feature film experience might explain why his storyline starts with a bang, builds somewhat and then has ups and downs. Chris is on a time crunch to discover who killed his wife and unraveling that mystery has a natural momentum and could engage an audience’s curiosity. That’s a positive. Boringly, the detective stays marooned in a chair. That’s a negative. Maddox gives him access to the city’s municipal cloud, databases and digital files. That’s a plus. Most of the characters are unlikable. That’s a negative. The bad points don’t outweigh the good ones, but could still depress box office success and good word-of-mouth commentary.
It’s up to director Timur Bekmambetov, most known for vampire movies (Night Watch and Day Watch), to make what’s on the screen more fascinating than what’s on the page. Conveying the narrative on monitors, police cams, doorbell cameras and smartphone faces makes what’s on view as immersive as it can be. But not enough to warrant the film’s 3-D format. When the graphics are interspersed with flashbacks and live-action scenes, it’s helpful. Helpful in a way that could make the barrage of eye candy appealing to tech worms, Gen Z and others who flit from screen to screen—all day and into the night.
The onslaught of images is not fine-tuned or artsy. Not like those in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar®-winning film Oppenheimer. Never stunningly lit, composed or strikingly colorful (cinematographer Khalid Mohtaseb; production designer Alex McDowell, Watchman). More like a standard Hollywood production that’s just a couple of levels above a B-movie. That said, the incessant parade of visions has a rhythmic feel (editors Dody Dorn, Austin Keeling, Lam T. Nguyen). Just enough to keep viewers engaged.
The year is 2029. Humans have championed an artificial intelligence system named Mercy. Maddox reigns over “Mercy Capital Court.” Those who’ve committed crimes, or been accused of such, tremble as the tech being readies its verdict. Themes of human instinct and feelings versus the cold logic of computer programs aren’t exactly original. The sci-fi-classic 2001 was one of the OGs. Mercy is not in that league. But fortunately, the subject of AI dominance, the kind that eats humans’ jobs, couldn’t be more topical. Below the surface of this thin thriller plot are some hard, scary truths about AI threatening the future of humanity.
For those watching from the front row or tuning in late night on Prime Video, there’s enough action to keep the energy level up. When Chris’ partner JAQ (Kali Reis, True Detective) mounts her hoverbike and flies over slow L.A. traffic there’s reason to be fascinated and jealous. Fights, shootouts, truck/car chases and explosions are prevalent. Prevalent but not ingenious.
Fans expecting Chris Pratt to do his action/adventure/superhero thing, will be disappointed. He’s in timeout. Strapped to his seat for most of the footage. No traces of that smug fun attitude he displays in the “Guardians…” When the camera closes in on his face, he does emote. But not in a riveting way. His lack of mobility isn’t a good excuse. In the movie The Sea Inside, Javier Bardem played a man afflicted with quadriplegia (paralysis from the neck down). His face and eyes told more in a minute about his feelings and inner workings than Pratt’s acting does in the entire film. Add in the over-worn secondary characteristic of being an abusive alcoholic, and nothing about Chris Raven seems particularly affable or original.
Ferguson fairs a bit better as the icy Maddox. Only her head is on view, yet, with a better character arc, she is more alluring. Wallis as Chris’ wife Nicole is duplicitous. Reis’ interpretation of the gung-ho cop is fun to watch, until it isn’t. Jeff Pierre’s role as an interloper won’t endear him to anyone. The one likable character is Ray (Kenneth Choi, The Wolf of Walk Street), Chris’ old partner, and his lack of screen time should be a crime.
After Mercy has run its 100-minute course, it is likely theater audiences might say: “I didn’t feel anything except a small adrenaline rush.” Or “Wish I’d waited to see this on Prime.” They may lack sustained emotions and vigorous enthusiasm. Ironically, just like AI. That’s what dooms Mercy.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSS4yqd0x6o
Photos by: Justin Lubin
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.