NINETOES VS. MERCY

Ninetoes was held up in court with the movie Mercy. Did he agree with the judge’s decision?

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

Written by Marco van Belle

Starring Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, and Kali Reis

Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Hey there, movie lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today, I am taking a look at Mercy. I have popcorn in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

Take a moment and imagine this: You wake up strapped to a chair. You are in an AI court. You are accused of murdering your significant other. You have ninety minutes to prove your innocence, or you will be executed after the ninety minutes.

This is the basis for the movie Mercy.

So, I am going to say that I am aware that this movie was not well-received; in fact, if memory serves me correctly, it bombed in the theaters. Luckily, I am not someone who listens to critics or pays attention to what does and does not bomb in the theaters.

The story for this movie is frightening, and for that alone, to me, it is worth looking at. Everyone is worried that Artificial Intelligence is going to take their jobs. In this case, AI has taken over the jobs of the judge and jury, and yes, the executioner. The AI deals in facts, nothing but the available facts. In the chair is a detective who acts on facts and gut instincts. So, who do you trust? A man with too many faults to be reliable? Or do you trust the AI, which is supposed to be absolutely perfect? These are the questions you must consider as you go through the movie.

The acting was pretty decent in this movie as well. For the most part, you have Chris Pratt (the accused) facing off against Rebecca Ferguson (the judge). Pratt does a good job going through the range of emotions of a man accused of murdering his wife: from righteous anger to regret for not being the man he thought he was to fierce determination in proving his innocence. Ferguson does an equally impressive job maintaining an unemotional, robotic state.

One interesting aspect of this movie is the countdown clock for Pratt to prove his innocence. I paid attention to the clock, and it appeared to run in real time. I may be wrong on this, but that is how it looked to me.

The main thing I took away from this movie was an already growing distrust of Artificial Intelligence. Let’s face it, there are a lot of movies out there telling us of the ills of AI. This is another one to add to the pile, and it should be viewed for that. I have several friends who fool around with AI, and they do their best to encourage me to join in. I have been, and I will continue to be, very, VERY leery to do so. We live in a world where everything from our phones to our televisions listens to us. To me, AI is just another tool for someone with ill intent to use. Even someone with good intentions can possibly mess themselves up with AI and not even realize it.

Was I entertained by this movie? Yes, I was.

Would I recommend it? Yes.

Will I watch it again? Most likely.

This movie is perfect for anyone who is into “Man vs Machine” thrillers, fans of Chris Pratt, fans of Rebecca Ferguson, and anyone who gets a hinky feeling when AI is mentioned.

I give this movie 4 popcorn buckets out of 5!

Until the next time, I bid you happy viewing.

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.