Mercy review: It looks smarter than it is

People expect critical-thinking, artificial intelligence to be unemotional and unbiased. Its programming design dictates it should come to a conclusion based solely on the facts. You cannot compromise or influence it. It doesn’t hold an interest in the outcome. These traits combine to make an impartial moderator that everyone can trust. But, as has been demonstrated time and time again, computers make mistakes. They can misinterpret or overlook data, creating an incorrect output. This is why human oversight is an essential component when using A.I. applications. In Mercy, a man accused of murder must prove his innocence to a non-human judge.

Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) is a police detective whose primary task is sending murderers to the Mercy Court. The new judicial system relies on A.I. to conduct a trial, analyse evidence and determine guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Raven is on trial for his wife’s murder, which occurred less than 24 hours ago. He must prove to A.I. Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson) that he’s innocent within 90 minutes or face execution. The computer has endless digital resources and the ability to bypass any security or passwords. Using his detective skills and the help of his partner, Jaq (Kali Reis), Raven needs to figure out who killed his wife before the clock runs down.

With a runtime of 100 minutes, this film unfolds in real time. The countdown in the corner of the screen creates a sense of urgency, even when it’s not clearly visible. Time becomes a constantly present character in the narrative, influencing the other characters’ actions and gaining reactions from the audience. When Raven spirals, the viewers’ eyes flick to the clock to see how much time he’s wasting. When police give their arrival time, audiences do the math against the timer to see how much time will remain. It’s an effective and relatable device that generates slowly mounting pressure.

The film is available to watch in 3D — a rare opportunity nowadays. It will unquestionably play the same in 2D as they barely alter the shots of Raven in the defendant’s chair. But it offers a surprising amount of depth to the rest of the picture. It especially enhances the judge’s scenes since there are several layers to her image: the background logo and timer, her avatar, and the many screen representations of files and data she accesses. The digital space is an interactive projection floating in the space between Raven and Maddox, which the 3D glasses accurately interprets without excessively dimming the image.

Ferguson delivers an excellent performance as the A.I. She begins predictably detached. She processes Raven’s reactions to his wife’s death and requests to speak with his daughter impassively. However, as his search for the killer challenges the computer’s certainty and ability to calculate probability, Maddox’s expressions contort. Her emotionless smile alternates with nonconforming confusion. She glitches as ambiguity confronts her infallible programming. Ferguson wears these expressions so clearly, in spite of her performance consisting of no more than a framed portrait.

But effective gimmicks and good acting can’t improve the predictable story and surreal concept. In a not-so-distant future, a government mandate states citizens must save all their personal and business information to “the cloud.” This gives the court complete access to all phones, videos and records making privacy non-existent. It’s “Big Brother” on the information superhighway. Yet, the A.I.’s ability to display any request in an instant feels false. Especially when its omnipotence couldn’t follow the same thread Raven does. Moreover, the “who” in this whodunit is not much of a mystery. The puzzle pieces fall into place at a nearly impossible pace.

It cement’s the film’s bizarre improbability with trite accuracy in Raven’s closing elusion: “Human or A.I., we all make mistakes — and we learn.” (Cue eye roll.)

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson and Kali Reis