Over recent years, artificial intelligence has taken on an increasingly wide array of roles, from virtual boyfriends to educational tutors. But what if AI assumed the functions of judge, jury, and executioner?
This provocative question is explored in the upcoming film Mercy, featuring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. Pratt portrays Chris Raven, a detective who was an advocate for a new AI-driven justice system called the Mercy Capital Court. In this system, defendants stand before an AI judge and must present their case until their perceived guilt drops below a certain threshold.
As a supporter of the Mercy program’s development, Raven is taken aback when he himself faces AI judge Maddox (Ferguson) on charges of murdering his wife. With a looming death sentence, Raven has just 90 minutes to prove his innocence. From the confines of the Mercy Court, he gains access to all relevant video feeds, security footage, and documents to uncover the truth about his wife’s death. However, he can only review these resources virtually from his seat—a situation reminiscent of Ice Cube’s character in the critically panned 2025 film War of the Worlds.
To see Pratt and Ferguson face off in this AI-driven confrontation, watch the full trailer for Mercy above.
The film also features Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, and Kylie Rogers.
Mercy is scheduled to premiere in theaters on January 23, 2026.
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