Mercury Rising (1998)

People forget what a great actor Bruce Willis is. He constantly takes mediocre films and makes them watchable. "Mercury Rising" is a perfect example. He has to contend with a horrible child actor, bad special effects, a rather hard to believe plotline and Alec Baldwin on a bad day yet the film is not too bad.

Willis plays an FBI guy whose on the downside of his career. His problem is - he cares too much and this is shown in a rather awkward opening sequence where some teenage boys are put in the line of fire. Willis handles it all with ease. It isn't much longer before we get to the meat of the story, where Willis has to save an autistic kid and the rest of the movie.

Speaking of which, the title of the movie went through many changes before coming up with the rather lame one it has. Based on a novel by Ryne Douglas Pearson called "Simple Simon," the film was once called this as well. It was also known at times as "Simon" and "Mercury Falling." One can only assume they picked the most "action" oriented title for the film. Too bad none of the choices are that good.

Anyway, I guess it was a good idea not to name the film after the kid's character cause the little actor that plays him, Miko Hughes, really stinks. Yes, he's playing an autistic nine year old and this is a true challenge for a child actor but this kid's idea of autism is someone who constantly rolls his eyes and screams when he is touched. There is nothing there, or so we are forced to believe. This makes the final scene in the film ring untrue and while it all can't be laid on Hughes' feet it must be said the role is too much for him. Ultimately, he fails but one wonders if any child actor could have pulled it off.

All of this is rendered moot by Harold Becker's lackluster direction and the film's poor special effects. They climax of the film involves a helicopter landing on the roof of a skyscraper and the blue screen effects in this segment are laughable. Nothing looks real here. It ruins whatever momentum Willis has been able to create up to know.

Baldwin, in this segment and elsewhere in the film, is given the chore of being a baddie with no real believable motivation. John Malkovich or someone else may have been able to pull this off but not Baldwin. He's ridiculous as the bad guy and the whole film goes down the tubes.

I could go on and on about the problems with the film but it the end it turns out to be an okay waste of time thanks to Willis. He makes us believe the unbelievable. He draws us into the story. He makes the film work. This guy deserves tons of kudos for what he does in films like this.

Note:

Koko Taylor sings in a nightclub scene.

Script by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Music by John Barry. Some scenes scored by Carter Burwell.

Filmed on location in Chicago, South Dakota and Washington D.C.

Review written in 1998

Report Card

Script: D

Acting: C+

Cinematography\Lighting: C

Special Effects\Make Up: F

Music: C

Final Grade: C-