Set in the near future, a detective accused of murdering his wife has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge
The movie is directed by screenlife innovator Timur Bekmambetov and it's centered on the ethical landmines of artificial intelligence and automated justice. The movie is set in 2029 in Los Angeles, where the city's justice system has been replaced by the Mercy Court, an artificial intelligence program designed to judge capital crimes. If you've ever wondered whether artificial intelligence has all the answers, then this movie is for you.
The artificial intelligence program was designed to collect data from every data point: cameras, satellites, and home gadgets. Believed to have all the answers, it was tasked with judging crimes, with defendants strapped to a chair and given 90 minutes to prove their innocence by parsing through a massive digital data network to reduce their guilt probability below a 92% threshold. Failure resulted in immediate execution.
The movie began with Chris Raven, who woke up strapped to a chair, face to face with the same system he had used to judge and execute countless people. The opening was great and hooked me from the very start. The unyielding judge Maddox did a fantastic job playing her role. Even while portraying an emotionless, calculated algorithm, she stole the show. Artificial intelligence is supposed to have no emotions, and that's exactly what she delivered.
Most scenes happen in the Mercy Courtroom (as expected if artificial intelligence handles judicial matters). Every minute brings a longing to see what Raven must prove about his innocence before a machine believed to have all the data and evidence. It turned out that Raven was set up, but tied to a chair, he needed the help of certain people to prove his innocence before the timer reached zero.
This is what I learned from the movie: "Artificial intelligence may have access to several data points, but it's not free from error." This was the truth revealed in the movie. Just like humans, machines have their downsides and can be manipulated for certain benefits. The movie has little action but high suspense. It doesn't give you room to predict the next action, and that's what made the movie interesting. Running under two hours, the movie rarely stopped to let one catch their breath.
The film shifts gears in the final 30 minutes into action, with police and a helicopter in pursuit. However, the film hovers around a superficial theme and confused politics, endorsing AI while simultaneously setting up a fascinating, terrifying premise about AI taking over civil liberties.
If you enjoy fast-paced thriller movies, then this movie is for you. However, its shallow script prevents it from saying anything memorable about technology or humanity.
Rating: 70/100
