Amours mortelles

This film is an interesting thriller that probes the after-hours private lives of well-to-do corporate women whose interests are unusual sex with other women. When some of the ladies turn up dead, the police step in, headed by Ellen Barkin as a jaded, shopworn and streetwise cop. Barken gets drawn in deeper into the erotic world she is discovering by a young woman and slowly pieces together the mysterious murders. There are red herrings and the plot twists and turns are more revealing in the film's home stretch. Barkin is as cool and wends her way through this erotic underground and the men portrayed in the film are shown in a poor light. Peta Wilson is sympathetic as the woman who guides Barkin through the maze of sex bars and clubs, and their chemistry on screen is sensual and suggestive. Barkin's trademark crooked grin is nearly absent in this picture owing to the subject matter but she is still a treat to watch. The music and cinematography are very good.

Although it is not the most intellectually stimulating movie you will ever see, Mercy is well worth the rental price.

Ellen Barkin plays Katherine Palmer, a homicide detective tracking down a sadistic serial killer who chooses female victims from very wealthy and socially prominent circles.

Palmer finds a connection between the victims in Vicki Kitrrie (Peta Wilson) a mysterious and very seductive blonde who had a sexual connection with many of the victims. It seems that all the women belonged to a group that covertly engaged in lesbian sex and S&M. Palmer suspects someone in the group is the killer and must submerge herself in the women's sexual under world with Kittrie's help.

Yes, the plot is a straight to video exploitation standard. But the production values and the good perfomances by the leads make this a good watch.

One of the better written and highly disturbing novels of the serial killer genre, and David Lindsey's most famous work has been translated into a painfully tedious and mind-numbing movie. All of the electricity of the novel is gone. Despite Ms. Barkin's obvious talents, she cannot carry this through some terrible screenwriting, direction that is designed to anaesthetize, and peripheral acting, including her own, which seems downright ridiculous. Pretty obvious from the first 5 minutes that this was a Canadian production, probably Toronto, and probably by someone who couldn't get a car-chase action movie to direct. READ THE BOOK!!

To be honest, I only picked up 'Mercy' because my favourite actor is Gabriel Byrne. The story starts off a little slowly, but then I found myself just glued to my seat. Barkin and Wilson play out such a dazzling duo, I still can't believe it. The two blondes call out all the intense 'noir' of the film in an intricate way, it's just beautiful to see. Their relationship is the clue to all the film. Wilson's seducing Barkin is emotional rather than carnal. A fabulous display of human nature, in my view.

If you decide to see the video, do it for the sake of this dazzling duo. The film's worth seeing though just for the two of them.

It's completely refreshing to see a movie live up to its video store movie box cover hype. I hadn't heard of this movie so I didn't know what to expect. Mercy delivers in a big way. This movie about serial killings occurring among a group of S/M lesbians was thoroughly enjoyable and DEFINITELY watchable. The violence, blood, gore, nudity, and sex was served up splendidly. The plot, and the movie moves along at a nice pace. Ellen Barkin is, I think, one the sexiest women in Hollywood. Peta Wilson(from La Femme Nikita television series) is hot! hot! hot! I don't watch her tv series but now I just may start. Easily figuring out who the killer was was the only weakness of the movie for me. Otherwise, if you don't mind watching this type of movie then go and pick it up. You will certainly feel "guilty and pleasured", as one other reviewer put it. 9/10