

#MERCURY RISING HOW TO#
Audiences traditionally like proactive heroes who figure out how to stop the bad guys. When not carrying the screaming, flailing child under his arm, the good cop (or FBI agent, as it is) must avoid the bad cop (or NSA assassin) until the final confrontation where the good guy not surprisingly, and of course quite predictably, wins.īeyond that, the film's biggest problem is that director Harold Becker ("Sea of Love," "City Hall") and screenwriters Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal ("The Jewel of the Nile," "Star Trek VI,") haven't given Art much to do other than run and hide. Yet, since this film only uses autism as an obstacle for the main character - instead of allowing him to learn and change as did Tom Cruise's character in "Rainman" - the film simply becomes a standard issue suspense flick. Putting an autistic child in harm's way easily and quickly generates audience sympathy, and the fact that Willis' character puts his career and life at risk for the boy makes him A-Ok in our books. Willis fans will have to wait until his "big" movie, "Armageddon," arrives this summer hoping that picture will turn out better.Įssentially a combo of "Witness," where a cop takes a boy under his wings to protect him from the "bad guys," and "Rainman," where the main character's efforts are hampered by a communicably challenged, autistic person, the film both benefits from, and is hurt by its construction.
#MERCURY RISING MOVIE#
A tepid thriller that works on the most basic level, this movie surprisingly feels rather flat throughout most of the production despite a few standard-issue action set pieces. OUR TAKE: 4.5 out of 10 Call it "Rainman Witness" for combining elements of two other popular movies, but "Mercury Rising" isn't likely to raise temperatures in theaters this spring.
#MERCURY RISING CODE#

Barely able to communicate with the outside world, he spends his time solving puzzles with amazing speed and ease. PLOT: Nine-year-old Simon Lynch (MIKO HUGHES) is an autistic savant. QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Drama: An FBI agent must protect a nine-year-old autistic child from government officials who want the boy eliminated after he unknowingly breaks a top-secret military code.
