RavenGlamDVDCollector (the spoiler bit is only in the last paragraph)Be warned, if you're scouting for a hot title, this one is just too much of a cold fish to be anything like that, or if you're scouting for a dark title, this one is too mild to be anything like that either. Good performance by Ellen Barkin, but if you carry an erotic torch for her, go to the sea, the SEA OF LOVE, ah, those were the days. Peta Wilson? I was, upon first sight, disappointed, but, yeah, she is something to see, especially as the film progresses. She's a very complicated character though. So any fun? Quite frankly, few and far between, with lotsa yuck getting into the way. And it's kinda dorky yuck, cause convincing it's not, the dead bodies are clearly prop department works of 'art.'Getting slapped with a wet fish through the face, that's what this creepy movie is. I don't mean creepy in a shivery way. I mean creepy as in yuck. Corpses galore. Naked corpses. Bloodied naked corpses. Close-ups of bloodied naked corpses. This movie caters to the vulture mindset.Quite distasteful, leaves a bad taste, though well-filmed. Unsettling story-line is not what I am referring to. Plot holes and lots left unexplained.A dark psychological thriller loaded with psychobabble, inane Freudian ramblings that has never held any water but is being devoured like sweet-cakes at a church fair, because it tells people what they want to hear. In the World as it is, we are all very, very different, and no one damn universal truth exists. We are all very strange bunnies, so damn the case files, just because Person A acted like this ten decades ago, doesn't mean everybody is going to follow suit, but there is a whole industry of psychologists who can afford to live life up high in their own ivory towers charging rent to other people's castles up there in the sky. Much of the motivation doesn't even make sense, for instance, the sniper scenes, I fail to understand, obviously because it is just a bunch of junk.I originally saw the downloaded trailer and figured it to be a good bet. Well, it's kinda really really a letdown in many, I'd say, most ways. Visually not nearly as exciting as it promised to be. Wallowing about in stupid badly-presented psychological disorders. The swimming pool scene was well done, however. Danielle Marie Straub, no speaking part, unforgettable in her aquamarine bathing suit, the very symbol of innocence, plays the molested child with a dismayed questioning expression that speaks volumes.It was an expensive purchase for me. All well and fine if you can see it for the price of a rental, or on cable, whatever you guys do, but I went the whole hog.Now, the spoilers:Julian Sands. Getting eaten alive. Yells out campy-voiced. Oh go home man! Karen Young, who is quite good at times, is absolutely inadequate in that crucial scene where she approaches drag- outfitted Dr. Broussard. That has the feel of a first attempt. And what a monumental waste writing Peta Wilson out of proceedings long before the end. Some unforgivable mistakes.

Paul Magne Haakonsen Personally I am not overly keen on murder mystery thrillers, much less police investigation movies. The reason for "Mercy" having a place in my DVD collection is because Julian Sands is in it. And I have had the movie for months before I got around to actually watching it.The story is fairly straight forward, as for being a murder mystery. However, there are some twists and plot turns here and there, letting the viewers in the dark and guessing as to who is the actual killer. Bit by bit, we are given pieces and hints as to whom it is, although I will say that my money was not on the actual killer, so that was a nice turn of events.Personally, I wasn't overly impressed by the movie, as it was generic and the story came off as forced and halting. And certain things throughout the movie were just so out there that they weren't believable. For example, why would detective Cathy Palmer let the murder suspect Vickie Kittrie into her personal home, socialize with her and even succumb to sexual advices? It was just so unprofessional behavior of a police officer that it was downright painful to behold. But hey, without it, there would be no movie, I suppose.Being a fan of Julian Sands and having seen most of his movies, it is always a thrill to see him in the quite often less than ordinary roles that he takes on. And his performance (and role) in "Mercy" is just that, another of the quirky roles that he executes well.Despite not being a fan of murder mysteries, then "Mercy" was actually quite interesting, if you can suffer through the obvious flaws and the slow pace the movie moves forward in. I had to give up at 50 minutes into the movie, and then continue watching the following day. The movie is mind-numbingly slow.Personally, I found that the movie had a little bit too much focus on the sexual nature of the storyline and used a bit too much screen time on showcasing the scenes."Mercy" deals with some pretty heavy issues, such as incest, S/M, bondage, transvestism, voyeurism, just to mention a couple of the aspects of the storyline. So it is a matter of personal preference whether or not the story is interesting or not. I found it a bit too much.The upside to the movie was the people they had cast for the various roles, whom did good jobs with their characters and their acting. Ellen Barkin (playing detective Cathy Palmer), Peta Wilson (playing Vicki Kittrie), Julian Sands (playing Dr. Dominick Broussard) and Karen Young (playing Mary) were really putting on some great performances, which made the movie just that much more tolerable to sit through.My overall impression of the movie was mediocre.

highwaytourist This was a sordid and dreary mess. I needed a shower when it was over. It goes something like this- some socialites are murdered and a woman homicide detective is assigned to the case. She discovers that the victims belonged to an underground lesbian society, and she befriends an associate of the group who may have relevant information. Since the detective is an attractive woman, of course she is horny and intrigued (which reveals much about Hollywood and its psychosis about women). What's surprising is that none of this is very sexy or interesting, just depressing and yucky. Ellen Barkin gives a respectable performance as the lead detective, and Julian Sands provides unintentional laughs as a cross-dressing psychiatrist, which is why it escapes a one-star rating.

Billy_Crash This contains some spoiler information, but the movie is not worth watching anyway...Why Ellen Barkin and Peta Wilson agreed to be a part of this debacle by writer-director Damian Harris is beyond me. The story is full of unrealistic police investigating techniques, which includes going to a party with a suspect and inviting that suspect over to your house and getting intimate with them. The tale also features a male psychiatrist who seems to have nothing but female clients - and he sleeps with them all.Even more over-the-top is the notion that the female victims to a horrendous S/M crime belong to a large, yet secret, group of S/M lesbian executives.Full of bad editing and continuity errors, the film is sterile in all of its ritzy locations - including Barkin's detective salary apartment. And the lame dialogue is fit to put one to sleep. Damian is a bad writer and a bad director. He tried and failed miserably to create a noiresque atmosphere at times. Furthermore, he couldn't get Ellen Barkin to give 110%. I firmly believe she realized the film was pathetic and gave up trying. Standouts were Peta Wilson, who wasted time studying with a Dominatrix for the part. The highly under-rated character actor, Marshall Bell gave his absolute best as always.And since Damian couldn't deliver on any level, it was hard to feel emotion for any of the characters. Most importantly, he doesn't know much about the real world of BDSM and chose to create the typical "Hollywood Reality" of gorgeous men and women who are perverted and dangerous.Save your time, money and braincells and pass this one by.