Mercy is now on Prime Video, so let’s talk about its terrible ending

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The sci-fi thriller Mercy is now available on Prime Video after a limited theatrical run. While it begins with intriguing potential, the film unfortunately doesn’t quite deliver on its initial promise.

The sci-fi thriller begins in 2029 with Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) facing a very unusual trial. He’s accused of murdering his wife, Nicole (Annabelle Wallis), but the courtroom is empty. He’s chained to a chair with only an AI judge, named Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), present.

Raven has just 90 minutes to prove he didn’t commit the crime, relying on security footage and other evidence. If he fails, he’ll be executed immediately. The ending of Mercy is incredibly intense—you’ll feel your adrenaline pumping, likely from frustration and outrage rather than excitement.

Man, things are looking really bad for Raven. I’m playing as him, and honestly, I barely remember what happened earlier – huge hangover! It’s coming out that he’s got a real problem with alcohol and a temper, there’s even footage of him getting arrested at a bar for fighting. And it gets worse – there’s video of him going into the victim’s house when she clearly didn’t want him there, just a few minutes before… well, before she was stabbed. It’s not looking good at all.

Raven’s a police officer with connections, so he can always call for backup. However, he’s facing trouble because he doesn’t have a lawyer, and the judge, Judge Maddox, keeps freezing up due to technical problems like slow loading and power outages. Despite being set in 2029, a lot of the problems feel familiar. The biggest difference is the new system of using artificial intelligence to quickly convict and execute criminals – and it’s all happening at the pace of a really bad movie.

Hold on – things get interesting! The Judge unexpectedly starts trusting Raven’s instincts, even second-guessing her own decisions. It makes you wonder – can an AI judge actually learn and develop something like intuition, just like a person? That’s amazing. Perhaps AI isn’t as scary as we thought?

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That’s certainly what Mercy would like you to think, but let’s dig deeper.

The investigation revealed that Rob Nelson (Chris Sullivan) was the real killer. He worked with Nicole before her murder and also sponsored Raven in AA. Nelson framed Raven because his brother was executed by Judge Maddox. He planned to detonate a bomb throughout the Mercy system, and he used Chris to gain access.

Rob reaches Mercy headquarters with Raven’s daughter held hostage. Maddox releases Raven to prevent the bomb from detonating, and thankfully, it works. Rob then insists his brother was wrongly accused, so Maddox agrees to let him share the evidence that could prove his innocence.

They soon uncover a shocking truth: Raven’s partner, JAQ, deliberately concealed evidence that could have saved Rob’s brother. Her motive? The police department desperately wanted the first AI-assisted trial to be successful. It raises a disturbing question about the potential risks of using AI in critical, life-or-death situations.

The movie initially seems to be asking whether we’re relying on artificial intelligence too much, especially in situations where it shouldn’t be involved. It’s similar to how Minority Report explored the dangers of excessive surveillance and the importance of fair legal procedures.

However, this film doesn’t deliver on its promise. Ultimately, Mercy absolves the AI justice system of any blame. It actually implies that the issues weren’t caused by the AI at all, but by human mistakes. Instead of a compelling critique of a flawed, easily manipulated system, the film presents the problem as simply a matter of human error.

The story completely avoids exploring the potential dangers of AI. No one even considers permanently stopping the AI system, called Mercy. In fact, Chris Pratt’s character optimistically states that “Everyone makes mistakes… and learns,” as if this bleak future is something to accept rather than a terrible outcome.

The conclusion feels contradictory, implying that despite evidence of AI causing harm, further development will somehow solve the problem.

At first, the scary idea was about using algorithms and data to decide who deserves to be punished. But if AI, like Maddox in this movie, starts to actually think and feel, it removes the suspense. Instead of being frightening, it feels more like a marketing gimmick.

It really feels like artificial intelligence wrote this movie. It’s not just the noticeable biases, but the characters themselves just don’t feel authentically human – the writing is weak.

Mercy is available to watch now on Prime Video.

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2026-03-23 23:50