Mercury Rising

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Mercury Rising

R

Released Apr 3, 1998

1h 52m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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Popcornmeter

21%

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57 Reviews

40%

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50,000+ Ratings

"Mercury Rising" stars Bruce Willis as Art Jeffries, a renegade FBI agent who combats ruthless federal agents to protect Simon (Miko Hughes), a 9-year-old autistic boy who has cracked the government's new unbreakable code. He can read MERCURY, the most advanced encryption code yet created, as easily as other kids read English. This ability renders the new billion-dollar secret code vulnerable, especially if enemies of the United States should learn of Simon's abilities and capture him.

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Critics Consensus

Mercury Rising lays the action on thick, but can never find a dramatic pulse to keep viewers -- or Bruce Willis -- engaged with its maudlin story.

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Keith Phipps

AV Club

There's such a lack of vision behind Mercury Rising that the title could have it going in either direction and it would still end up in the same familiar place.

Apr 23, 2020

Full Review

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

The actors' serious faces are out of place in this hopelessly silly action conspiracy.

Apr 21, 2020

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Mark Caro

Chicago Tribune

Baldwin's Kudrow is a one-dimensional, humorless variation on his corporate tyrant in Glengarry Glen Ross.

Apr 21, 2020

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Clarín Staff

Clarín

Offers the viewer a pleasant surprise. [Full review in Spanish]

Apr 23, 2020

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Margaret Pomeranz

At the Movies (Australia)

I must admit I was underwhelmed by Mercury Rising - in fact the temperature actually sank.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 23, 2020

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Total Film Staff

Total Film

This should never have been made. Avoid it and pretend it wasn't.

Rated: 1/5

Apr 21, 2020

Full Review

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Kenny K

I don't get the low reviews on this one. Classic Bruce Willis.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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Jerod S

Mercury Rising is full of talent, but gets sludgy after the first 20 minutes. the 90s treatment of autism is also something to note.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

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Anthony C

Well, the soaring John Barry soundtrack makes up for a lot.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/24

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Audience Member

Couldn’t care less about anyone else’s opinion of this film I will love it forever and no one can change that

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

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Cinephemeride

a little thriller not as bad as we read it. Certainly, not the best Bruce Willis film but it still holds up. Nothing exceptional but acceptable

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/23

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Megan J

I don't know what this movie was missing but it was definitely missing something. I have two main points: First, I appreciated the action shots and the script and the idea could've been amazing. I do not want to criticise too harshly, I know very few people who write these reviews, myself included, could do any better. However, what I said slightly earlier is exactly what I mean. It was missing something. It could be the suspense, it could be the lack of understanding towards certain characters (in my own point of view) or it could just be something small and mostly inconsequential that I personally missed, whatever it was, it wasn't there. Secondly, the portrayal of the autistic boy in this film slightly bothered me. I don't know how old this boy is exactly but his role shows him as more of a nuisance than the important character I thought he should be. The actual character is simply a host for the film to use the fact that the boy is autistic to provide a new way for the actual main character (Bruce Willis) to overcome new obstacles that (at the time of this being released) were not much explored. I think the portrayal could've been more accurate or wholesome. It would be fine as ASD is a spectrum but the fact that 90% of mainstream media depicts autistic people in the same way, like this film does, does not help its case at all. I personally did not enjoy the film but I do appreciate good choreography, cinematography and acting and like all movies with any action, I loved the high-action or combat scenes. I do adore a well made fight or chase scene in any film.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/23/23

Full Review

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Harold Becker

Director

Bruce Willis

Arthur 'Art' Jeffries

Alec Baldwin

Nicholas Kudrow

Miko Hughes

Simon Lynch

Chi McBride

Thomas 'Bizzi' Jordan

Kim Dickens

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Synopsis

"Mercury Rising" stars Bruce Willis as Art Jeffries, a renegade FBI agent who combats ruthless federal agents to protect Simon (Miko Hughes), a 9-year-old autistic boy who has cracked the government's new unbreakable code. He can read MERCURY, the most advanced encryption code yet created, as easily as other kids read English. This ability renders the new billion-dollar secret code vulnerable, especially if enemies of the United States should learn of Simon's abilities and capture him.

Director: Harold Becker
Producer: Brian Grazer, Karen Kehela Sherwood
Screenwriter: Ryne Douglas Pearson, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Imagine Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Rating: R (Violence|Language)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 3, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $32.9M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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