Mercy: When Justice is Coded, Can You Hack Your Way to Freedom?

Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a buzzword in tech; in the world of cinema, it has become the ultimate antagonist. From The Creator to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Hollywood is obsessed with the idea of the algorithm turning against its masters. On January 23, 2026, director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Night Watch) throws his hat into the ring with Mercy, a high-concept sci-fi thriller that blends the ticking-clock tension of Phone Booth with the dystopian paranoia of Minority Report.

Starring Chris Pratt in a gritty departure from his usual charming rogue persona, Mercy asks a terrifying question: What happens when we outsource morality to a machine? Set in a near-future where human error has been eliminated from the courtroom by replacing judges with advanced AI, the film explores the nightmare scenario of a system that cannot be bargained with. For the audience on fmovies.tr who love adrenaline-fueled mysteries with a technological edge, this is the first major sci-fi blockbuster of 2026.

The Plot: 90 Minutes to Beat the Algorithm

The film introduces us to Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), a hardened detective operating in a sleek, slightly futuristic version of Seattle. Raven isn’t just a cop; he was one of the most vocal advocates for the implementation of the “Mercy System”—a judicial AI designed to process evidence objectively and deliver sentences instantly, eliminating the corruption and bias of human judges.

The irony hits hard when Raven comes home to find his wife, Nicole (Annabelle Wallis), brutally murdered. Within moments, he is apprehended, not by human officers, but by the surveillance state he helped build. The evidence—DNA, video fragments, and biometric data—points overwhelmingly to him.

The Trial of the Century

Raven is placed in a high-tech holding cell where he faces Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson). However, Maddox isn’t a person in a robe; she is the holographic avatar of the AI system. The twist? The system has determined his guilt with 99.9% probability. According to the new laws, capital punishment is swift. Raven is given exactly 90 minutes—the runtime of the system’s final verification protocol—to find the “glitch” in the logic or present new evidence before the execution order is carried out.

What follows is a real-time thriller. Trapped in the interrogation room, Raven must guide his former partner, JAQ Diallo (Kali Reis), on the outside to hunt down the real killer, all while engaging in a psychological chess match with the AI Judge that knows his every move before he makes it.

Director’s Vision: Timur Bekmambetov’s Kinetic Style

Timur Bekmambetov is a visual maximalist. Known for the curving bullets of Wanted and the innovative “Screenlife” format of films like Searching (which he produced), he brings a unique energy to Mercy.

Visual Aesthetic: Unlike the grimy, rain-soaked noir of Blade Runner, Bekmambetov’s future is sterile, bright, and terrifyingly clean. The interface of Judge Maddox is integrated into the environment, using augmented reality (AR) overlays that surround Raven. The director visualizes the “mind” of the AI, showing the audience how it processes Raven’s heart rate, micro-expressions, and voice stress in real-time. This creates a sense of claustrophobia; the protagonist is being dissected by data.

The “Screenlife” Influence: While Mercy is not a full “Screenlife” movie (taking place entirely on computer screens), it borrows heavily from that language. We see the world through surveillance cameras, body cams, and drone feeds. Bekmambetov uses this to heighten the theme of a surveillance state where privacy is the price paid for “safety.”

The Cast: Man vs. Machine

The film rests almost entirely on the interaction between its human lead and his digital executioner.

• Chris Pratt as Chris Raven: This is a darker, angrier Chris Pratt. Stripped of the Star-Lord humor, he plays Raven as a man consumed by grief and regret. Critics have noted that this might be his most physically demanding role since The Terminal List. He spends much of the movie solo, acting against a green screen or a hologram, and he successfully conveys the desperation of a man fighting a god he helped create.
• Rebecca Ferguson as Judge Maddox: Ferguson (Dune, Silo) is chillingly perfect as the AI. Her performance is uncanny—she is polite, empathetic, and utterly ruthless. She isn’t playing a robot; she is playing a machine pretending to be human. Her voice is soothing even as she discusses Raven’s lethal injection, creating a disturbing contrast that fuels the film’s horror elements.
• Kali Reis as JAQ Diallo: The breakout star of True Detective: Night Country brings her physical intensity to the role of Raven’s partner. While Pratt is the brain trapped in the box, Reis is the muscle on the streets. Her subplot involves high-octane chases and fights that provide the film’s kinetic action beats.

Critical Review: A Flawed but Fascinating Experiment

Mercy arrives with a Metascore of 39, indicating that critics are divided. However, for the general audience, the film offers a lot of entertainment value that might be overlooked by high-brow reviewers.

The Good: Concept and Tension

The premise is undeniably gripping. The “ticking clock” mechanism is a classic thriller trope for a reason—it works. The verbal sparring matches between Raven and Judge Maddox are well-written, diving into the philosophy of justice. Is a system “fair” just because it follows the rules? Can an algorithm understand the context of human passion? These scenes are intellectually stimulating.

The Bad: Heavy-Handed Execution

Where the film stumbles is in its subtlety—or lack thereof. Bekmambetov is not known for restraint. The metaphors are sometimes screamed rather than whispered. The villain’s reveal (the “who framed him” aspect) feels somewhat predictable for fans of the genre. Additionally, the technology can sometimes feel like magic, with the AI being able to do things that stretch suspension of disbelief a bit too far, even for sci-fi.

The Action

Despite being a “courtroom” drama of sorts, there is plenty of action. The sequences involving Kali Reis are brutal and well-choreographed. Bekmambetov’s signature slow-motion and impossible camera angles make the action scenes pop, even if they sometimes clash with the serious tone of the interrogation scenes.

Mercy is a glossy, fast-paced, and provocative thriller. It may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but it is a highly effective piece of popcorn entertainment.

It serves as a grim cautionary tale about our reliance on technology. Chris Pratt delivers a committed performance, and Rebecca Ferguson steals every scene she is in (or projected into). If you are looking for a movie that combines the mystery of The Fugitive with the tech-anxiety of Black Mirror, Mercy is worth the 100 minutes of your time. Just don’t expect the AI to have any mercy on your pulse rate.