Chirs Sparling's Mercy is part home invasion thriller, part family drama, a horror/thriller that relies heavily on its mystery and intrigue to deliver its chilling tale of moral fortitude. Taking place almost entirely over the course of one chaotic evening, Mercy is the story of two sets of brothers which combined make up one fractured family. Returning to their childhood home to be with their mother on her deathbed, many of these characters haven't spoken with each other in awhile, and much of the first half of Chris Sparling's Mercy focuses on the mystery and intrigue centered around this family. Estranged and antagonistic, it becomes clear early on that the lines are clearly divided between these two sets of brothers, with Mercy remaining vague as to exactly why their is so much pent up animosity. It's clear that their animosity is only heightened by the presence of their seething father, which only two of the brothers, Ronnie & TJ share, hinting that much of this divide is fueled by old pain and resentment centered around their shared mother's first husband, the father of Travis and Brad, the two other brothers. As the night progresses, family secrets are revealed, with things taking a more sinister turn with the arrival of a a group of mysterious masked men. Mercy is a film that is intentional vague, almost too a fault early on, reluctant to give any type of true insights into why these characters have so much pent up aggression. Their anger on the surface is related to the four brothers decision whether to use an experimental drug on their mother, which could theoretically ease her suffering, but it becomes clear that their real infighting and distrust may have something to do with their mother's enormous inheritance, with each set of brothers showing concerns over where all her money will go when she does finally pass on. While the first half of Mercy is basically a tense, family drama, the second half of Mercy reveals itself as a home invasion style horror film, with this mysterious group of masked men only further complicating the exact circumstances of what is going on and who can be trusted. Mercy's horror elements are simply solid, with a few good moments of tension and jump scares throughout, but what makes its back-half excel is the way its told, providing different perspectives across the same similar timeline, a technique that manages to tell a rather simple story in a much more compelling, and interesting way. Once the home invasion begins, the timeline is fractured, much like this family, with Chris Sparling's screenplay slowly and intelligently revealing the true nature of these intruders and the fate of the family in a non-linear way. Without spoiling the film, Mercy is a story about greed, with the home intruders a representing cleansing presence by the end of the film, an old testament style brand of justice against the greed of all of Mercy's principle characters, a families whose intentions themselves are more sinister. A film that puts far more stock in its mystery elements than its horror lynchpins, Chis Sparling's Mercy is a fun little horror thriller that will surely keep you guessing from start to finish, even if you have a hard time showing any type of empathy for its characters.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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