Chris Pratt in ‘Mercy': ‘dramatic, edgy, painful'

Chris Pratt is stepping far outside his familiar action-hero comfort zone in Mercy, and according to the film’s director, the transformation is both striking and deeply emotional.

At the sci-fi thriller’s New York City premiere on Jan. 20, director Timur Bekmambetov shared that audiences will see a side of Pratt they may not expect. 

In Mercy, Pratt plays Chris Raven, a homicide detective accused of murdering his wife and forced to prove his innocence within 90 minutes during a high-stakes trial overseen by an advanced A.I. judge. 

If he fails, he faces immediate execution.

Bekmambetov described Pratt’s performance as raw and unusually exposed, emphasising that the film goes far beyond standard action fare.

While viewers are used to seeing Pratt as tough, fast-moving and physically dominant, this role required something entirely different. 

“This movie, it's not just an action movie, because we expect Chris Pratt to be tough and jump and entertain us, but it's [also] very vulnerable, very broken man. And it was unique for him,” the director said. 

“He played this for the first time.”

The director pointed to one particular moment as the emotional core of the film, the final conversation between Raven and his wife before her death. 

“It's the most dramatic, edgy, painful and emotional scene,” Bekmambetov said, noting it was also his favourite to film.

Despite having worked together previously on the 2008 action thriller Wanted, Bekmambetov said Mercy reaffirmed Pratt’s range as an actor.

He admitted he was surprised by “how unexpectedly dramatic he could be,” calling the performance proof of Pratt’s versatility.

Much of the tension in Mercy comes from confinement. 

Raven spends most of the movie strapped 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 confine me in [the chair],” he said. “So I didn't have to pretend that I was strapped down.”

“I was cuffed to this chair both at the feet and at the hands,” he added, explaining that the discomfort and claustrophobia helped him stay emotionally grounded during 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 told PEOPLE, adding that hearing their stories gave him a deeper respect for the trauma officers face daily.

With its emotional weight, psychological tension and stripped-down performance, Mercy presents Pratt in a way audiences haven’t seen before. The film is now playing in theaters.