The Independent Horror Movie Mercy
is Heavy on Film-Making Techniques.
Mercy proves that excellent
film-making technique alone does not automatically result in an
engaging horror movie. Here is the honest non-intelligencia review.
Written
by BHM Editor Don
Sumner February 16, 2007
Release:
13 October 2006 (Tucson, Arizona) Written and Directed by: Patrick Roddy ArchImage Studio (US)
Starring:
Gary Shannon as John Mercy Shelley Farrell as Eve Julie Ann Fay as Ghost Carol Anne Gayle as Old Woman
This review requires a couple of working definitions before
we get started.
Film Noir: A
motion picture with an often grim urban setting, photographed in somber
tones and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and
despair. - Dictionary.com
Cinematic Techniques: Methods employed by film
makers to communicate meaning, entertain, and to produce a particular
emotional or psychological response in an audience. - Wikipedia.com
These two definitions encapsulate Mercy utterly.
The story is of a man (John Mercy played by Gary Shannon) just released
from prison and attempting to get a fresh start in
“God’s Country” Montana. First, however,
John must jump through the hoops of a halfway house and endure a
monotonous job and a less-than-sympathetic parole officer.
The monotony and isolation of his new life combined with remembered
images of his guilty past result in John slowly backsliding to his
prior wicked ways and finally to complete insanity.
The tagline for Mercy is
“…you’ll beg for it!” Believe
me, I did.
The dark images, minimalist settings, hopeless expression on the face
of star Gary Shannon and realization that the outside world is nothing
more than a prison without bars is classic Film Noir. In fact, it was
actually the definition of Film Noir. I think reading a textbook about
Film Noir would have been less painful. After the first hour of minimal
dialogue, minimal activity and the four-note soundtrack I was indeed
begging for mercy.
The
cinematic techniques were wonderful examples of, well, cinematic
technique. The visual quality was like an Alfred Hitchcock movie shot
on film – very rich and beautiful. The images of
isolation achieved through wide shots of a lone John Mercy
walking along a wall adorned with a commercial advertisement
effectively conveyed his isolation in a world filled with distraction.
The minimalist sets and inactive characters conveyed bleakness and an
absence of meaning that a suburban Goth-kid could rattle-on about for
hours.
Unfortunately
Mercy is not a lesson in film technique, but a
horror movie. The technical aspects of effective cinematic technique
are supposed to enhance the experience of watching the movie and convey
depth and meaning, not be an end in-and-of
themselves. I felt like I was watching a boring series of film
technique/symbolism examples in a lecture hall.
The
repetition of themes and symbolisms was another element that removed my
ability to enjoy Mercy. The first three times that
the street hookers roared like lions to illustrate
their predatory nature were fine…by the tenth time I was
screaming “OK…I GET IT!”.
Film Noir is always a risky art form to criticize. Just as the
black-clad art opening crowd will search for depth and meaning in a
painting created by dipping earthworms in acrylic
because their “inteligencia” friends are watching,
many movie reviewers will gush on about Film Noir because if they
don’t people may think they just don’t understand.
That’s not my style.
I applaud Patrick Roddy’s technical skill as a film
maker, and Mercy has many excellent
examples of wonderful technique to offer. It is in the areas of
creativity, character development and tellling a story that you can
care about that Mercy needs a little work. Questions
or comments about Mercy? Contact us!
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The story is of a man (John Mercy played by Gary Shannon) just released
from prison and attempting to get a fresh start in
“God’s Country” Montana. First, however,
John must jump through the hoops of a halfway house and endure a
monotonous job and a less-than-sympathetic parole officer.
Film Noir is always a risky art form to criticize. Just as the
black-clad art opening crowd will search for depth and meaning in a
painting created by dipping earthworms in acrylic
because their “inteligencia” friends are watching,
many movie reviewers will gush on about Film Noir because if they
don’t people may think they just don’t understand.
That’s not my style.
