Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Die Hard knockoff is well made but silly, violent, profane.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mercy
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In MERCY, Michelle Miller (Leah Gibson) is a former military doctor who lost her husband to a bomb in Afghanistan. Now stateside, she's raising her son and working with a former colleague in a local hospital. Meanwhile, a member of the Irish Quinn crime family, Ryan Quinn (Anthony Konechny), is in FBI custody, and his hotheaded brother, Sean (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), launches an ambush to free him. But instead of freeing Ryan, Sean shoots him. Ryan is rushed to the hospital and rescued by Michelle, but when Ryan and Sean's father -- the head of the family, Patrick Quinn (Jon Voight) -- arrives, he's told he can't see his son since he's still in custody. Sean impulsively starts trouble, and the Quinns end up with a hostage situation on their hands. Michelle must rely upon her former military training to save the day -- and her son.
Is It Any Good?
This "Die Hard in a hospital" action movie almost works; it's lean and efficient, but it's also just a little bit too ridiculous and fatally un-self-aware. Gibson's Michelle Miller is a terrific hero for Mercy, a strong, powerful mom who only fights because she has to (she swore she'd never fight again). And Voight has one of his best scenery-chomping roles since Anaconda, roaring through an Irish accent and trying to keep his boys in line (he cuts the ear off of one man who disobeys an order), while sometimes stopping to sing an Irish ditty.
But the questions keep coming up. How big is this hospital? Why can't Quinn's men simply search all the rooms and find Ryan themselves? (At one point, one of the gang members even finds a handy roll of building plans just lying on a workbench.) And why does the Quinn gang happen to have so much explosive C4 on hand when this siege was never planned? The movie also takes itself a tad too seriously, with some attempts at chest-thumping U.S. military patriotism here and there. All in all, Mercy isn't bad enough to send viewers to the ER, but it may cause minor headaches.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Mercy's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Do you consider Michelle Miller a role model? Is she justified in her use of violence? Why, or why not?
Did you notice positive diverse representation in the film? What about stereotypes?
What is the movie's take on the military and military service?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 12, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : May 19, 2023
- Cast : Leah Gibson , Jonathan Rhys Meyers , Jon Voight
- Director : Tony Dean Smith
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence, bloody images and pervasive language
- Last updated : May 24, 2023
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