Although the clever murder mystery thriller Mercy must be filed under science fiction, director Timur Bekmambetov and writer Marco Van Belle set it in 2029, and considering the ever-changing world we find ourselves in right now I thought this AI-driven premise is entirely plausible.

The plot revolves around the idea of a Mercy Chair, a court presided over by an AI-generated Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson). Defendants sit strapped into a chair and are given 90 minutes to plead their case, with the manta being you are presumed guilty until you can prove your innocence under the scale of 92%. In the current trial sits police detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), who has been charged with the murder of his wife Nicole (Annabelle Wallis). In this no-mercy court that already sees him as 98% guilty, if he can’t prove he didn’t do it he will be put to death 90 minutes after the conclusion of the trial. No appeals in this virtual court.

The added wrinkle is that Raven and his faithful police partner Jacqueline “Jaq” Diallo (Kali Reis) were the key advocates for the creation of the AI court, where our man-made entity serves as judge, jury and executioner all in an effort to speed up “justice” because of law enforcement’s frustration due to too many criminals getting off. Unfortunately, it is Raven who is in the hot seat and it doesn’t look good, especially since he has no recollection of events that landed him in this position and now, using instant digital video that films people 24/7, he must put up a defense with the odds stacked against him.

Told in real time, Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter) employs the Screenlife formula with which he has worked cinematic magic in films like Unfriended, Searching and more where we see various visual elements all play out on a computer screen in a society that never seems to be off their screens. Here he takes the formula a step further and turns it into a police procedural where all the evidence is brought up instantly and we, and Raven, can see it all come together like it is happening live. This cop must use every tool in his playbook to get out of the chair and find the real culprit who actually did murder his wife, and why.

I find this Screenlife genre interesting and in fact saw the filmmaker’s most recent production, Lifehack, at SXSW and have wondered why it hasn’t yet gotten a release; it uses all the tricks of the format to make a truly crackerjack heist movie. Mercy, however, does it all on a bigger scale, the most commercial use of this digital-era cinema to date. It also seems so plausible, especially in a world where the current U.S. federal government officials (right up to the very top) seem more than willing to pronounce people guilty without due process, all for their own devious purposes. With AI unfolding its abilities with breakneck speed every day, and billionaires in Silicon Valley taking it into uncharted waters, why not create courts that can get it all over with in a single morning? We may be looking at our future here unless we put the brakes on. It is all happening so fast. Even when I clicked on the press notes for this movie I got a message saying “this looks like a big file. Would you like AI assistant to summarize it for you?” Well, who is say that AI gets it right? But in a world that has little patience you can see how wrong it can all go with no mercy or time for the facts.

Pratt, with sweat rolling down his face, gives this role his all and is very effective, even in the confined space he plays most of it. And even though they are never on screen(s) together, Ferguson is the ideal interrogator, running through the motions of her judge duties with abandon. Also doing fine work is Reis as the loyal cop partner whose participation grows more complex as it all unfolds. Kylie Rogers as Raven’s daughter brings in the more emotional family side of the equation, and Chris Sullivan (This Is Us) as Rob Nelson gets key moments and levels of intensity as the clock keeps ticking.

All the technical production elements are first-rate, and I guarantee this one will have you on the edge of your seat in its compact running time. It was shot for Imax, and in a movie all about screens dominating our lives, this one is ideal to be seen on the biggest one of all if you have a chance like I did.

Producers are Charles Roven, Bekmambetov, Robert Amidon and Majd Nassif.

Title: Mercy
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Release date: January 23, 2026
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Screenwriter: Marco Van Belle
Cast: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Chris Sullivan, Kylie Rogers, Annabelle Wallis
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 1 hr 34 mins