The Mercy
Lionsgate | Release Date: November 30, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
60
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyNov 29, 2018
Through all the film’s bumps and scrapes, Firth does invest a lot of commendable energy in helping us grasp Crowhurst’s besieged state of mind. It’s a good performance in shaky circumstances, but at least he honours the man’s contradictions, on top of his terror of public failure, and even greater one of exposure as a fraud. Read full review
60
CineVueJoe WalshNov 29, 2018
Marsh has crafted a compelling film, yet for all the fine performances and intriguing subject matter it is never quite compelling. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawNov 29, 2018
A more unforgiving approach might have been more interesting. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNov 29, 2018
I walked away from this picture both moved and confused. Because it’s got Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz in top form, The Mercy nails the emotion, but comes up somewhat short as a narrative. Read full review
60
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisNov 29, 2018
In prioritizing Crowhurst’s psychological frailty over his physical challenges (both conveyed more evocatively in the excellent 2007 documentary “Deep Water”), Firth and his director find something quietly touching, even soulful, in the character’s wretchedness. In this somber tragedy, the real demons are never anywhere but right inside that boat. Read full review
60
Screen DailyKim Newman
The later stretches, which are forced to become oblique and symbolic in the absence of any hard evidence about what really happened to the sailor, showcase some of Firth’s best screen work. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedNov 30, 2018
The film is as disappointing as his fate, but it’s worth watching for the rugged, nerve-wracking performance by Colin Firth. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiNov 30, 2018
It isn’t a bad movie as much as a dead one, never managing to click in the way all involved presumably hoped it would. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterStephen Dalton
This unresolved maritime mystery feels oddly flat and functional, diluting a tragic tale full of unanswered questions into an anodyne middlebrow weepie. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeNov 29, 2018
Unlike the steely resilience in the face of disaster of Robert Redford’s character in All Is Lost, watching Crowhurst slowly crack is the cinema equivalent of filling your pockets with pebbles and chucking yourself into the Solent. Read full review
More From This Movie

60 Critic Reviews

5.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
2 73 Creed III
3 67 Avatar: The Way of Water
4 63 Knock at the Cabin
5 62 Plane
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL