Dir: Timur Bekmambetov
Cast: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, Kylie Rogers
“Mercy” marks the latest chapter from Kazakh-Russian director Timur Bekmambetov, who first burst onto the scene over twenty years ago with the supernatural fantasy “Night Watch” in 2004. Having broken box-office records in its native Russia, the sequel, “Day Watch”, only amplified the buzz, leading Fox Searchlight to snap up both for global release. Over the years, “Night Watch” has earned cult status, with fans as notable as Quentin Tarantino and James Gunn even championing it. While I found the Russian-language vampire saga entertaining, it never quite sank its fangs into me the way other vampire films have.
Bekmambetov’s newfound fame landed him in Hollywood, where he helmed the gleefully over-the-top action romp “Wanted” in 2008, complete with bullet-curving James McAvoy and a formidable Angelina Jolie. Despite a flurry of projects and even a brief creative partnership with Tim Burton, Bekmambetov has struggled to recapture the success of his breakout Hollywood hit. Instead, he carved out a niche as a pioneer of the screenlife genre, reflecting our society’s digital migration over the years…