Mercury Rising
Mercury Rising
R | 03 April 1998 (USA)
Mercury Rising Trailers

Renegade FBI agent Art Jeffries protects a nine-year-old autistic boy who has cracked the government's new "unbreakable" code.

Reviews
Artivels

Undescribable Perfection

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Tedfoldol

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

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Maidexpl

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

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Dynamixor

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

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stephenrtod

Made in 1998, "Mercury Rising" showcases Bruce Willis as a compassionate champion of one against a monolithic NSA that, even 14 years ago, acted as if it knew better than the American people what we needed to know, a surreptitious shadow governmental adjunct that took Machiavelli's central idea, that "The ends justify the means" to a hideous conclusion. As in many of Willis' other films, such as "Sixth Sense," Willis projects a strong, trustworthy male role-model for a troubled, albeit gifted, autistic boy of nine.What I enjoy best about this film, however, are the many intensely suspenseful "turns," throughout the movie, almost like a cinematic flow chart, in which the survival of the protagonists is extremely doubtful. This is a film in which truth overcomes malignant power, a work of art which illustrates what Helen Keller insisted is true: "I may be only one, but still I am one." The American people, and the people of the world, who need to continue to cherish freedom and hope, and work to instill and maintain both of those values until they're ubiquitous, need many more such movies.

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David Love

There are two great acting performances in this film. Bruce Willis plays Art Jeffries, an FBI agent with attitude. Miko Hughes plays Simon Lynch, an autistic savant with a gift for codebreaking. Both are believable but Miko Hughes is astonishing – one of the best ever screen performances by a child. The scenes between the pair of them are really touching and you can believe that Willis really likes kids. Perhaps he does.The US government's pursuit of Lynch in this film may at first appear overly far-fetched and scaremongering. Then you remember the US attitude towards the British savant, Gary McKinnon, who was accused of perpetrating the biggest military computer hack of all time by hacking into 97 US military and NASA computers in 2002. Well, they didn't kill his mum and dad, and hunt him like an animal. But after 10 years of attempted extradition, and speculation of a 70-year jail term, maybe this story is just an exaggeration of reality, and not quite as ridiculous as some commentators have suggested.It's not really a downside but if you come to this film expecting a shoot-em-up action movie, you may be disappointed. It's much more than that and consequently slower – it's a touching drama with action scenes, and so we can forgive, just about, the pace through the middle of the film. The writing is actually very good and Pearson, Konner and Rosenthal all deserve credit.I did find the score a bit distracting. Sort of 'too big' and too 'James Bond' for the film. Scenes without music were better. Though the music being played at the club Jeffries visits was really good and I would have liked to have heard more of Koko Taylor (now no longer with us) belting out some blues.I was finding it difficult to see where this film was going. When Wills is with a kid, like in 16 blocks or Die Hard 4, you expect a visible end point, and there wasn't one. There was a sense of going around in circles. Until the last 5 minutes. Ultimately that cost it a couple of stars and the score lost another one. So seven out of ten for this.

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Mark Gunston

I really enjoyed this film and have found it equally watchable on repeated viewings.From the opening scene of a helicopter making its way towards a rural town accompanied by Barry's soulful music you just know that you are in for a rewarding movie experience.What elevates a routine and slightly clichéd thriller into a tense and emotionally satisfying film is the sensitive direction of Harold Becker, spot on casting, a story with emotional depth and John Barrys great score.Bruce Willis is ideally cast as the loner working against the system. The interaction between him and Miko Hughes as the autistic child Simon feels authentic. There is real chemistry in the exchanges between the 3 computer nerds who work for the NSA. And the scenes between Simon and his parents carry real emotional weight.This is not an action film. It is a film about story and character, and in some ways that makes it an old fashioned movie and all the better for it. It does, however, maintain tension through most of it's running time, a characteristic which is becoming rarer in modern films.Definitely recommended.

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Robert W.

This was Bruce Willis at his finest. Although Mercury Rising was financially not well received, the film is a terrific thriller, solid acting, great story and just all around entertaining! One reviewer said this was more of a drama about autism and that's ludicrous. This is a thriller about a young boy who happens to have autism but to call this a drama or about autism at all is misleading. The film is part mystery, part thriller, part action and will entertain from beginning to end. Powerful performances from the lead cast make it worthwhile and riveting.Bruce Willis plays Art Jeffries and does a great job doing what he does best. No this isn't an award worthy performance or anything outstanding for Willis but he still carries the film well and Willis fans, like myself, will remember this. The star and stand out performance of this film is Miko Hughes who brilliantly plays autistic puzzle solver Simon. His performance is award worthy and I've always remembered it as one of my favorite performances. His chemistry with Willis is brilliant. Robert Stanton deserves mention in a small but pivotal role that I really enjoyed him in. Same could be said for Chi McBride who also does a good job. Alec Baldwin is good in his role as the villain. I would have liked a little more chemistry between him and Willis and I don't think he was outstanding in his role but he was definitely good. Kim Dickens is the female lead in the film and she does alright although I found her character very one dimensional for the most part.Harold Becker's direction is perhaps a little bland from time to time. It is true what some reviewers say that the film could have used just a little more action and some of the performances felt dry at times from Baldwin and Dickens, who are important to the entire film in many ways. Still the concept for the film is riveting and the story is delivered in a well paced, entertaining fashion. Anyone looking for a good thriller will not be steered wrong with this film. Its a movie that I watch from time to time again and again because I've always thought it was a great movie. Plenty of thrills, plenty of edge of your seat moments and a terrific performance from Hughes. 8.5/10

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