Chris Pratt is stepping out of his familiar action hero comfort zone a lot in Mercyand according to the film’s director, the transformation is surprising and deeply emotional.
At the sci-fi thriller’s premiere in New York on January 20, director Timur Bekmambetov shared that audiences will see a side of Pratt they may not have expected.
In MercyPratt plays Chris Raven, a homicide detective accused of murdering his wife and forced to prove his innocence in 90 minutes during a high-stakes trial overseen by an advanced AI judge.
If he fails, he faces immediate execution.
Bekmambetov described Pratt’s performance as raw and unusually exposed, and emphasized that the film goes far beyond standard action.
While viewers are used to seeing Pratt as a tough, fast, physically dominant guy, this role required something completely different.
“This movie is not just an action movie, because we expect Chris Pratt to be tough and jump and entertain us, but it’s [also] A very vulnerable and very broken man. And it was unique for him,” said the director.
“Played this for the first time.”
The director singled out one moment in particular as the film’s emotional core: the final conversation between Raven and his wife before his death.
“It’s the most dramatic, tense, painful and emotional scene,” Bekmambetov said, noting that it was also his favorite to film.
Despite having previously worked together on the 2008 action thriller Soughtsaid Bekmambetov. Mercy it reaffirmed Pratt’s range as an actor.
He admitted that he was surprised “how unexpectedly dramatic it could be,” calling the performance proof of Pratt’s versatility.
Much of the tension in Mercy comes from confinement.
Raven spends most of the film tied to a chair during his trial, a stark contrast to Pratt’s usual physically demanding roles. Speaking at New York Comic Con last year, Pratt explained that the restriction was intentional.
“I asked them to lock me in [the chair]” he said. “So I didn’t have to pretend I was tied up.”
“They handcuffed me to this chair by both my feet and my hands,” he added, explaining that the discomfort and claustrophobia helped him stay emotionally anchored during the intense scenes.
Pratt also prepared by spending time with LAPD homicide detectives, an experience he said left a lasting impression.
“Man, these guys are heroes,” he said. PEOPLEadding that hearing their stories gave him a deeper respect for the trauma officers face every day.
With its emotional weight, psychological tension and minimalist performance, Mercy introduces Pratt in a way audiences haven’t seen before. The film is already showing in theaters.
