Film Review

‘Mercy’: You’ve Heard of ‘RoboCop,’ Now There’s Robo-Judge

“Mercy” chooses high-octane spectacle over an interesting and consistent opinion on the ethics of an AI legal system and its far-reaching impact on humanity.
‘Mercy’: You’ve Heard of ‘RoboCop,’ Now There’s Robo-Judge
AI Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson) presides, in "Mercy" Sony Pictures Releasing
Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
|Updated:
0:00

PG-13 | 1h 39m | Action, Courtroom Drama, Whodunit | 2025

“Mercy” is basically a courtroom drama presided over by an artificial intelligence judge, but “RoboJudge” sounds better. And had “RoboCop’s” director Paul Verhoeven helmed “Mercy,” we might have been bequeathed a far more scathing, fun, but also sobering satire of our tech-addicted society.

Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
Mark Jackson is the senior film critic for The Epoch Times and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. Mark earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by classical theater conservatory training, and has 20 years' experience as a New York professional actor. He narrated The Epoch Times audiobook "How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World," available on iTunes, Audible, and YouTube. Mark is featured in the book "How to Be a Film Critic in Five Easy Lessons" by Christopher K. Brooks. In addition to films, he enjoys Harley-Davidsons, rock-climbing, qigong, martial arts, and human rights activism.
twitter