Mercy

A deathbed-drama turns into a home-invasion thriller, and dark secrets are revealed -- all to little effect -- in the clumsy and not-quite- worthwhile "Mercy."

The plot involves four brothers who convene upon the family homestead as their mother nears death. The patriarch fathered only two of the boys. The other two are children from the dying woman's previous marriage; their father died under mysterious circumstances, leaving her a sizeable sum of money. There's a rift between both pairs of half-brothers, a rift which is aggravated by the living patriarch, who wishes to keep the inheritance to himself and his biological children.

The drama plays-out with quiet tension, leaving us with a few too many questions -- like: The four of them have been provided with what appears to be a DIY euthanasia-kit by a local doctor. It's established that they all believe their mother is suffering. And yet, they unanimously object to the use of euthanasia. It seems this may stem from religious belief. And yet, the way they suspiciously eye one another about it, and the way the DIY kit keeps getting thrown away and then "significantly" re-appearing, it seems like all isn't what it appears to be.

Well, and it's not, quite frankly. There are a few twists to this tale. The first is a home-invasion, which happens quite abruptly and changes the feel of the film. The second is the reveal of the identity of the invaders, which is more surprising than I had guessed. The third concerns the true nature of that euthanasia kit.

Ultimately, having seen the full scope of the plot, I can see what someone may have seen in this material. It's a crafty setup. But it's terribly underserved by both the writing and the execution.

A better version of this film would have had sharper dialogue and more closely-observed characters. The four brothers presented by this film are fairly generic guys; each is given a defining trait or two, but no meaningful dialogue is exchanged between them, other than whatever is necessary to advance the plot. A better film would have traced the deep rift between these siblings; it might have referenced a specific event in the past which touched them all in different ways; it might have said something about the nature of familial division. Instead, we're given four brothers who talk like crooks getting ready to pull a heist, each one suspicious of the others. We're given no insight into their personal lives.

A better version of this film would also have played a bit more with the religious themes. There is a definite ironic comparison to be made between the dad's sternness, his presumed moralistic idealism, and the kind of faith which becomes part of the film's final act.

A better film would also have made those final-act twists work better. These twists should be quite shocking -- but as delivered by this film, they just leave us feeling a little puzzled and unsatisfied. We need to feel, more strongly, the ironic nature of what happens at the end in the mother's room. A better film might have done this by setting-up certain signifiers earlier in the film, certain things which might have raised questions or doubts, so that when the final act pulls these sudden reversals, we can better appreciate what's happening and it doesn't feel so... well, kind of arbitrary.

A better film would also have utilized the cinematography and the editing better. "Mercy" isn't exactly an ugly film, but it's a film without a strong sense of visual direction. This is a story which involves things both spoken and unspoken, secrets, and misdirection. Some clever camera-work and thoughtful editing could have helped to tell the story, could have "said" the things that the characters themselves aren't saying. Instead, "Mercy" gives us the flat, affectless, somewhat-shaky look which has become the hallmark of the generic, low- budget home-invasion thriller.

Overall, it's not great film. It's barely a good one. There were certainly some promising elements here, but those are quite underserved by this film's thoughtless, generic execution.

I'm surprised at all the one star reviews - it is definitely not nearly that bad.

I thought this was a good thriller, and I loved the 'twist'. I really enjoyed the conclusion. It was a little hard to follow at times, and I could have done without the short start, re-do, and ending format. However, I don't feel like that ruined the movie.

I would recommend giving it a try - it's not perfect, but it's also not the worst movie ever as many reviews would have you believe.

The ambiance builds up nicely until the night falls, then a mess begins. The concept is very interesting and with a great potential but for some reason it falls flat halfway. Good acting from the disillusioned father whom you hate almost straightaway; the brothers leave you dancing in circles as to their allegiance; then the three-line role for Melissa, a general disappointment. The story twists are not twisted, I would've expected the contrary.

If you have absolutely nothing to do, watch it. If however you feel the urge to pull your fingernails out with a pair of pliers then I suggest you will have more satisfaction with the latter. Wasted a Sunday afternoon with this movie. Good on ya Netflix. It could always be worse though. I might have taken my lady to the cinema and spent money for the two of us to be disappointed beyond belief. 90 percent of the movie was filmed in dark conditions and it was very hard to follow the story as the characters were unrecognizable most of the time and you didn't know if the masked guys were getting on top or the brothers actually got a win. Sad to see that in our day and age with all the technology available that someone can get a movie so wrong with camera work alone. Then there was the acting. At least everything about the movie was consistent.

Disappointed Disappointed Disappointed. If you read my review and still go ahead and watch this rubbish then you cant say you haven't been warned. Hey look.... golf is on channel 2. At least it will be better than what I've just put myself through.

I.. I really don't know what to say. The movie was okay, but just okay and a tad on the more negative side. I would've probably given 6/10 if the movie hadn't been so freaking dark and the actors didn't look so alike, especially in the dark. The plot was actually really surprising. I wish there was more of a back story, but you can do just so much in 87 minutes. I cannot say I feel like I wasted my time, the movie was watchable but I cannot give a better grade.