In the near future, Los Angeles will employ an AI as judge, jury and executioner to speed up justice and instil fear into anyone planning on breaking the law. They will name this AI, Mercy. Then one day one of its biggest advocates, Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), will wake up hung over with no recollection of the previous few hours accused of murder. He has ninety-minutes to convince Mercy (Rebecca Ferguson) of his innocence. 

Mercy is a surprisingly decent trashy thriller. The main conceit is around the buzzword of the moment, AI. But there is little real concern around whether or not AI can make accurate decisions here and more just a focus on making an against the clock action thriller. 

The film takes liberally from other superior action films with it feeling almost like a cross between Minority Report and Speed. Of course the new approach to law enforcement is similar to the former film but the semi-futuristic setting also gives the police various forms of transport and drones that feel familiar as well. Its connections to Speed are very much in its against the clock nature and some set pieces which will feel very similar. 

The other film it owes a lot to is Searching. Detective Raven is locked into a chair pleading his case to Mercy. But Mercy has access to a plethora of cameras, phones and computer systems all across the city allowing Raven to use them at his leisure to prove his innocence. 

It has its flaws. The setting forces large swathes of the film to have Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson talking almost directly to camera which can be slightly unsettling. Whilst the final sentences that wraps up the film’s thoughts on AI are rather cringe worthy. 

Ultimately though this is a fast paced b-movie thriller that will pass your time in an entertaining manner.