Amours mortelles

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.

That any soft or hard core producer would only dream of. This one has it all; good acting, turn on scenes, bisexuality, lesbianism, murder, sexual deviation and maybe a cult and/or a serial killer thrown in too.

A little too much actually but it makes for a decent thriller although it becomes a little too predictable during the middle.

You have to be fairly open minded and in the mood but this will keep your attention. Particularly good performances by Julian Sands, whom I normally dislike, and Pita Wilson.

I rather enjoyed this movie. I thought the acting was very good. It kept me alert, and thinking throughout. THIS IS NOT A FILM ABOUT lesbianism at all. What I do think, it has a lot more to do with "bondage" "s/m". If your looking for kinky lesbian sex, your not going to experience it here. However, if your looking for a movie that dabbles, in the minds of certain main stream adults who have hang-ups with sex and pain, then this may be entertaining for you. Ellen Barkin, was perfect for this role, her facial expression told her story before her mouth moved. yet you weren't quite sure if she was wondering out loud on the fact that she may like this alternative life style. Peta Wilson, also did a tremendous job in role playing in this film. Im serious wondering, why I havent seen her in more films. She was utterly convincing, and beautifully attired in this movie.

All in all a good movie, that I will view again in the near future.

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.

I can understand those who give Mercy a 1 ... in many ways, it's a terrible film. For the most part, it's a teenaged boy's wet dream about beautiful lesbians, wrapped in Lynchian style.

And yet, I couldn't stop watching it. Ellen Barkin remains a highly underrated actress (and an unbelievably sexy woman for her age.) Peta Wilson has hypnotic beauty and holds her own quite well with Barkin. She actually "researched" the role by delving into LA's lesbian S&M scene for a few weeks ... what a trooper.

If you have Memento-esque short-term memory lapse, this is a great film. Forget the plot and float along in its lurid eroticism.