Mercy – Movie Review (2/5)

MERCY is a new sci-fi cyber thriller with an action-fueled drive coming to theaters. The story itself feels a little dated and doesn’t offer any real surprises. Chris Pratt is fine in the lead, but Rebecca Ferguson is too good for this movie. However, it does look stunning and is fine for Friday night, if you don’t want to think too much. Read our full Mercy (2026) movie review here!

MERCY is a sci-fi thriller with a cyber mystery plot and action-driven storytelling. I don’t think I expected much from this, so in that regard, it delivered as expected. This is all about the story looking good, and the pace being breathtaking, while the actual plot is quite small and predictable.

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH…

This 2016 movie with the same title >

Sure, there are plot twists, but if you’ve been paying attention to the (often huge) hints and clues, you’ll know what’s coming. Look, this isn’t a bad movie, but with the budget and cast, it could and should have been at least a solid movie. The runtime is 100 minutes, which is fine for the story as the credits take up quite a lot of that runtime as well.

Continue reading our Mercy (2026) movie review below. Find it in theaters from January 23, 2026.

A strangely familiar plot

With Mercy, we find ourselves in the near future, where AI has taken over even more than in our present day. That’s why detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) now finds himself on trial, and accused of having murdered his wife. Having been an outspoken advocate for letting AI judges run entire trials based on facts, he’s about to see why this isn’t a good idea.

Or actually, the storyline will have him use A.I. while also constantly trying to make us believe that A.I. isn’t really smart or dependable. If it were, surely the A.I. Judge named Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson) would have found the same evidence that Detective Raven is looking at.

This is essentially like Minority Report, but instead of trying to stop crime (which was a much smarter plot to begin with), Mercy is about solving crime. See, even in a futuristic cyber thriller, it’s all about getting people imprisoned rather than stopping crime. The world truly is a dark place right now.

In any case, the plot of Mercy revolves around Chris Raven having 90 minutes to prove his innocence. If he fails, he will be executed in the very chair currently holding him in the room across from a screen showing Judge Maddox. As such, the movie practically plays out in real-time, and you already know how it will end.

You really do… unless anyone actually believes Chris Pratt’s character will end up being executed?!

Rebecca Ferguson deserves better

While Chris Pratt plays the same character he has in at least ten movies, Rebecca Ferguson plays an AI Judge. As such, she is supposed to be firmly fact-based and without emotion. Something the cool and collected Rebecca Ferguson can do in her sleep, so she delivers as needed. Of course, in a movie like this, even the AI Judge will somehow find itself (herself?) feeling for Chris Pratt’s character.

Why? Well, I wish I knew because from everything we’re told, Chris Raven (that would be Chris Pratt’s character) is a real jerk. No matter if he’s falsely accused or not, that fact does not change. Not to me, and I cannot see why it would for the fact-focused AI Judge. Yet, here we are.

Anyway, my point is that Rebecca Ferguson deserves better. Fortunately, we have also seen her in movies much better than Mercy. Whether talking about Doctor Sleep or A House of Dynamite, Rebecca Ferguson is a force of nature. Ultimately, she is in Mercy as well, which makes no sense in the context of the core plot, but (again!) here we are.

Watch Mercy in theaters

Mercy (2026) comes from director Timur Bekmambetov, who has given us some visually stunning movies over the years. This one is as well, but just looking good and having lots of explosions isn’t enough. Not for me anyway. Timur Bekmambetov previously directed, in English, the movies Wanted (2008) and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), which I certainly found had much better stories.

Which takes us to the screenplay written by Marco van Belle, and this is only his second script produced. Well, he has a horror movie in post-production right now, which he also directed. However, prior to Mercy, he wrote and directed the 2015 movie Arthur & Merlin, and that’s it. I don’t know what anyone saw in this screenplay except for maybe a movie that would do well at the box office with the right cast.

MORE FROM TIMUR BEKMAMBETOV

Apart from directing, he also produces a lot, including this one >

I think it’s obvious that I’m not impressed with this movie, mainly due to the story. The look and pace are good, while the actors do what they can with this script. And Mercy has two wonderful female actors in supporting roles. Both get far too little to work with. They are Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country) and Annabelle Wallis (Vanished into the Night).

Finally, I also want to mention Chris Sullivan (Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy), Rafi Gavron (Books of Blood), and Kenneth Choi (Bright). All actors are good – as is Chris Pratt, who delivers what’s asked – but the overall story is lacking.

Mercy (2026) is entertaining enough, I suppose, but I could also watch a mediocre TV series and be just as entertained. Still, I’m sure it’ll do fine in theaters. Not least due to the dystopian story, which is only too relatable. I mean, people also flocked to Contagion when the pandemic hit.

Mercy is out In Theaters Nationwide on Friday, January 23, 2026.

Details

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Writer: Marco van Belle
Cast: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, Kylie Rogers