https://thedailytexan.com/2026/01/26/review-mercy-provides-lackluster-take-on-ais-future

The use and implications of artificial intelligence remain a hot topic of everyday debate. Past media such as “RoboCop” and “The Terminator” suggest the years ahead of us lack humanity and justice. 

Released Jan. 23, Timur Bekmambetov’s latest film, “Mercy,” presents an incredibly interesting future where artificial intelligence acts as a judge, jury and executioner. However, the film’s twists and turns ultimately fail to address any moral or value.

The year is 2029, and Los Angeles is riddled with crime and chaos, with the justice system no longer operating under the motto “innocent until proven guilty.” The film introduces the Mercy Capital Court, spearheaded by Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) and his partner, Detective Jacqueline “Jaq” Diallo (Kali Reis). Rebecca Ferguson plays AI Judge Maddox, who simultaneously questions and aids the suspect into admitting guilt or proving their innocence. Once the 90 minutes are up, and the suspect fails to prove they are less than 92% guilty, a sonic impulse kills the accused immediately.

Beginning with an oddly enthusiastic advertisement for the Mercy court, the film’s dizzying visuals resemble pop-up ads on an illegal movie website before cutting to a close-up of Detective Raven’s face. Confused and hungover, Raven is reasonably shocked to be in the chair he once put people in, becoming more shocked to find out he’s been accused of brutally stabbing his wife, Nicole (Annabelle Wallis), in their kitchen. As Raven makes phone calls with loved ones and sifts through the city’s “Municipal Cloud,” a vast archive of residents’ texts, calls and photos, he develops a relationship with Judge Maddox that borders on partnership, a connection more uncanny than her appearance, which lacks the smooth, synthetic quality typically associated with AI.

The evidence against the detective is damning. However, the film doesn’t do a great job at garnering empathy and support for his character. Raven is an irritable, secretly relapsed alcoholic whom his daughter and in-laws disliked prior to the accusation, yet he didn’t commit the crime because he can’t remember. 

As the case unfolds, Judge Maddox becomes somewhat of a sidekick in the film’s generic catch-the-killer plot and less of a concept of intrigue. The film even hints at Maddox gaining consciousness, with lags and glitches when the AI approaches a human-like topic. At the end of its 100 minutes, the film makes the most generic moral judgment it could: “Everybody makes mistakes, human or AI.”

Despite effortful performances from Pratt and Ferguson, conceptual prowess and believable visuals, the film ultimately lacks the nuance and writing needed to properly justify its eerie pro-AI message.

2 creepy AI judges out of 5