Info in Movie News | On January 23, 2026, Chris Pratt will be back on the big screen with a gripping sci-fi thriller, Mercy, an Amazon MGM Studios movie, That pairs Pratt with Ferguson Rebecca with director Timur Bekmambetov, whose most famous and groundbreaking work is Wanted.By using a mixture of real-time tale, AI-influenced morals, and future-looking graphics, Mercy is a story of the consequences of the machine taking the role of judge in human justice.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is set in Los Angeles in the year 2029, where violent crimes have increased to such an extent that the justice system had to depend on an experimental AI program. Pratt is playing the part of LAPD detective Chris Raven who, after a very short time, finds himself tied to a chair of execution and is accused of killing his own wife. With 90 minutes on the clock, he needs to find a way to clear his name before an AI judge named Maddox, played by Rebecca Ferguson, announces his doom. The AI acts as the judge, jury, and executioner, in the courtroom, determining the offender from the given digital evidence of the texts, videos, and social media accounts.
Ironically, Raven was one of the officers who helped develop the “Mercy” program, an AI-driven justice system designed to accelerate sentencing. Now, the same system turns against him. His ex-partner, played by Kali Reis, is the only one whose he can trust, but her loyalty and intentions are uncertain. Reis referred to her character as "loyal to the core but enigmatic," suggesting that her ethical principles might be challenged as Raven is running out of time."
Chris Pratt in a daring move less typical of action-hero characters shows dark side of his nature and a side of him that is more emotionally raw in Mercy. Director Timur Bekmambetov called it Pratt’s “next evolution,” which mainly pointed out the actor’s courageousness in showing his vulnerable side. Pratt was so determined to make it all real that instead of acting, he was actually very restrained in the shooting of the scenes. He talked at New York Comic Con about how he told the members of the crew to tie him up in the chair of execution so that he would be able to get the same feeling of suffocation that his character had. To the extent the actor did not even want to be taught the method of getting himself free, thinking that if he really felt helpless, his performance would be better and also the distress would be so real that the viewer would be uncomfortable but it would be a great way to communicate the feeling of the scene to them.
Pratt’s character literally looks like a Die Hard figure, from which the reference is made to the 1988 classic, as he is shown barefoot while he is in the chair, a very symbolic detail of his helplessness. Bekmambetov’s choice to Mercy in one continuous take adds to this authenticity. The whole tale is told in 90 minutes, thus it is the same time as the one inside the story. There were some shots which were said to have lasted more than an hour without a break, thus the crew could be considered as performing in a theatre and not filming.
Visually, Mercy pushes filmmaking technology to new heights. The production blended real downtown Los Angeles locations with advanced virtual sets, using volume stage technology similar to what’s seen in The Mandalorian. Bekmambetov also introduced robotic cameras, nicknamed “robodogs,” to capture dynamic crowd footage. According to producer Charles Roven, who also produced Oppenheimer, these innovations made the movie’s visuals uniquely immersive, particularly in IMAX format. “You’ll feel what Chris feels in that chair,” Roven teased. “Those screens won’t just appear in front of you, they’ll almost jump out into the audience.”
Thematically, Mercy goes beyond its sci-fi thriller surface to explore humanity’s uneasy relationship with artificial intelligence. Bekmambetov pointed out that fifty percent of our lives are already in digital forms, our texts, videos, and data represent us just as much as our physical existence. The movie leverages this fact to ask a scary question: is it possible for a machine to have a real understanding of morality? When the system designed to protect society becomes judge and executioner, where does accountability lie?
As Bekmambetov noted, “We live in a world where AI is already knocking on the door, and we don’t have time to understand whether it will be our friend, our enemy, or our child. But we have to teach it how to behave.” That central theme makes Mercy more than a dystopian fantasy, it’s a reflection of the world we’re rapidly entering.
With an original script by Marco van Belle, Mercy is produced by Charles Roven, Robert Amidon, Timur Bekmambetov, and Majd Nassif. The supporting cast includes Annabelle Wallis, Kali Reis, Rafi Gavron, Chris Sullivan, Kenneth Choi, and Kylie Rogers. Jennifer Salke, chief of Amazon MGM Studios, said the movie was "a cinematic experience intended for the big screen," as a result of the studio's ongoing collaboration with Pratt after The Terminal List and The Tomorrow War.
On top of being a thought-provoking movie, having a real-time storyline, and indelible emotional performances, Mercy is becoming to be one of the most unique science fiction thrillers in the last few years. The movie redefines the concept of justice in a virtual world, where every single thing of your life, which has been recorded online, might be the one to decide your destiny.
source The Hollywood Reporter, People, Deadline