Review | Mercy movie review: Chris Pratt battles a virtual judge in flawed AI courtroom thriller
Chris Pratt plays a detective accused of murder who has 90 minutes to clear his name in this ‘screenlife’ thriller that fluffs its third act
3/5 stars
Chris Pratt stars in this slice of AI hokum set in a near-future world where defendants face a virtual judge, jury and executioner, all rolled into one.
Set in Los Angeles in 2029, the film follows Detective Chris Raven (Pratt), an early adopter of Mercy – a fully autonomous courtroom and the ultimate crime deterrent.
However, he is the one facing the death penalty, after his wife was found murdered in their home, with just 90 minutes to clear his name before the chair he is strapped in executes him with a sonic pulse.
Facing him is Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), the AI “face” of the programme, who – under law – allows the suspect access to phone records, CCTV cameras, bank statements and emails.
That is a starting point for Raven, a recovering alcoholic who recently relapsed and can barely remember anything after an argument with his spouse Nicole (Annabelle Wallis). Was it a crime of passion? Or something else? As Raven points out, “The truth is always in the grey in-between.”