X
- 1998
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 51 m
- 1998
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 51 m
Summary Shadowy figures in the National Security Agency target a nine-year old autistic savant for death when he has shown the ability to decipher a top secret code.
Directed By: Harold Becker
Written By: Ryne Douglas Pearson, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal
- 1998
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 51 m
- 1998
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 51 m
Mercury Rising
37
6.0
Where to Watch
Summary Shadowy figures in the National Security Agency target a nine-year old autistic savant for death when he has shown the ability to decipher a top secret code.
Directed By: Harold Becker
Written By: Ryne Douglas Pearson, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
37
24% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
36% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
40% Negative
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
37
24% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
36% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
40% Negative
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
But the real treat is seeing Big Daddy Bruce playing the papa bear part to the little lost boy. Sure, he loves his handgun, but for once Willis seems to enjoy his nurturing side as much as his Glock 19. [3 Apr 1998, p.N53]
Every time the kid looks at a field of numbers and symbols that start jiggling across a screen to clicky music, but not jiggling as fast as his brain, he's exiling the kind of hero played by Willis to the scrapheap of history. [3 Apr 1998, p.D10]
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 22 User Ratings
6.0
23% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
73% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 22 User Ratings
6.0
23% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
73% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
When I saw this film I was very surprised because I seemed to notice similarities with "The Sixth Sense", a film that was released the following year, in 1999. Let's see: in both films, Bruce Willis is the protagonist and acts with a special child (for different reasons), trying to help her in something. The same main actor, the same structure supporting the two scripts, the involvement of a child in both films, the temporal proximity between productions... it can't just be a coincidence... or can it?
In this film, Willis brings to life an FBI agent, expert in covert operations, who will, however, become interested in the situation of a boy, autistic and with a strong inclination to solve riddles and advanced mental problems, whose parents were mysteriously murdered. His action will, however, trigger an enormous operation, moved by secret elements within the American governmental apparatus, whose objective is to kill that boy. The reason? Inadvertently, he ended up breaking a high-security military code in which the government had invested millions, and which they believed to be the most advanced ever.
The film starts off very well, and it develops in a satisfactory way. Despite this, it never seems to be a cohesive work, perhaps because of a deficient editing work... it seems like a patchwork, in which the narrative line does not always make sense and which becomes more disjointed as the ending approaches, and the script does desperate efforts not to leave loose ends. The pace is quite good, and the action scenes are well done, although the tension and suspense don't always really work.
Willis proved to be an excellent protagonist. This role, moreover, seems to have been tailored to the qualities of this actor, who will achieve, at this stage of his career, several hits that will make him a name to be taken into account by Hollywood producers. Despite being very young, Miko Hughes also disentangled himself very well from his role, despite not being particularly demanding in my opinion. Alec Baldwin is a solid and consistent villain, and makes a restrained but effective participation.
Technically, it's a film that has solidity and quality. Not being a blockbuster, nor having the expressiveness and visual grandeur of the films in that record, it is committed to using quality visual and special effects, especially in action scenes. The cinematography is also very good and atmospheric, and the locations used in filming helped a lot. The soundtrack is not very noticeable, but it contributes merit notes to a well-rounded overall picture.
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And though young Miko Hughes does a fine job as the traumatized Simon, this ain't no "Rainboy". [3 Apr 1998, p.SE]
In Mercury Rising, the mercury may rise but pulses never do. A promising thriller with tough guy Bruce Willis wearing an ever-more radiant tapestry of bruises on his face, the film ultimately surrenders to the entropy of stale plotting and familiar formula.
John Barry's score, with its reiterated 'autistic kid' theme, would have sounded corny to Ivor Novello, though it's in keeping with the general principle of patronising the audience.
The nuttiest thing about Mercury Rising is that when Alec Baldwin, as the silky-voiced evil defense honcho, explains that he took his cutthroat actions to protect the lives of American undercover agents, he actually sounds quite reasonable. You can just about feel the imbecility rising.
The actors' serious faces are out of place in this hopelessly silly action conspiracy.
Not nearly as bad as most critics would have you think. I didn't feel that having the kid be autistic was exploitative, and Willis brings his great action stuff. Even Baldwin wasn't TOO terrible.
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Despite being unintentionally very funny, the movie doesn’t do enough to be worth watching. The writing is irredeemably bad, some of the acting is pretty good, but ultimately there’s just no point.
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