Select a subscription plans
You need a subscription to access this content.
Now in theaters, MERCY is a tightly paced science-fiction thriller that unfolds entirely in real time, placing audiences inside a justice system governed by artificial intelligence, and asking what happens when humanity is forced to operate within it. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the film stars Chris Pratt as Chris Raven, a man accused of murdering his wife and given just 90 minutes to prove his innocence before an AI judge delivers a final verdict.
At the center of that countdown is Kali Reis (Wampanoag/Camp Verdean heritage), whose character serves as Raven’s lifeline: partner slash boots on the ground in a city shaped by surveillance, automation, and data-driven justice. For Native Max, the film is not just about technology or spectacle, but about Reis’ pivotal role in grounding the story in empathy, conviction, and lived experience.
From the moment she first read the script, Reis knew this was a project worth committing to.
“It was from the first page I was reading it like, ‘okay, wow, this is a situation here we have.’ I was so curious as to where we were gonna go. Every time I turned the page, there was something I wanted to know more.”
That curiosity extended beyond the plot into the emotional architecture of her character, particularly her deep belief in the Mercy Court system itself.
“I really digested her journey. It was so much to work with, as far as, like, what is her backstory? What has driven her to make these decisions and be in law enforcement… and really be so behind this concept of Mercy Court.”
What drew Reis in was not only the tension of the premise, but how close it feels to our present reality.
“It is not far-fetched from where we are already here today… I could grasp that.”
In MERCY, AI is not a distant abstraction; it is embedded into every decision, every second ticking down on the clock. Yet Reis’ performance resists detachment. Her character believes in the system, but she is also deeply motivated by a personal sense of justice.
“This character was all about Mercy…she was about Mercy Court. She even says, like, nobody’s above this courtroom. I’m not even above this.”
Reis grounds that belief in an implied history of injustice, one that informs her urgency and presence throughout the film.
“There had to be some kind of injustice she faced in her younger years that made her say, I need to do something about this. I need to be involved. I need to be boots on the ground in the middle of it.”
The film’s real-time structure heightens that urgency. There are no time jumps, no narrative breaks; only the pressure of watching justice unfold second by second.
“You’re experiencing everything in real time… we’re still seeing the clock, tick, tick, tick.”
As Raven scrambles to uncover the truth about his wife’s death, he is forced to work within the very system he helped build, facing Rebecca Ferguson’s AI Judge Maddox, a figure who is, as Reis describes:
“The judge, jury, and executioner.”
Reis’ character becomes Raven’s human counterpart in that system.
“He can call who he wants… to play his partner, I’m the boots on the ground. I am his kind of phone-a-friend for the answer.”
While MERCY is not positioned as a moral manifesto on artificial intelligence, it clearly invites conversation.
“It’s not a thought piece on AI. I will stress that, but it is a conversation piece.”
That balance, between propulsion and reflection, is echoed in feedback from filmmaker Micah Groenevelt, who attended the screening alongside Native Max.
“The filmmakers thrust you immediately into the premise, and from moment one until the very end, they keep their grip on you and carry you through a very engaging, very lean story.”
Groenevelt points to pacing and execution as the film’s strongest assets.
“Its biggest strengths as a film are definitely pacing and premise, and once you have those two things set up, the rest falls into place very nicely.”
He also notes how the film situates itself within a lineage of early-2000s action thrillers, while still feeling contemporary.
“It felt like if you combined Eagle Eye, Minority Report, and Source Code into one film… It feels reminiscent of early 2000s action thrillers.”
For Reis, stepping into this space, alongside major studio names, was both daunting and affirming.
“I deserve to be in the rooms I’m in… No matter what type of film it is, science fiction, if I’m playing a villain, I’m playing a hero, it’s an Indigenous story, whatever story.”
That confidence, earned through experience and self-knowledge, resonates on screen. Her presence is steady, human, and necessary, anchoring a digital world in lived emotion.
“I was terrified, but I was ready for it.”
As MERCY opens to audiences nationwide, Kali Reis’ role stands out not because it overexplains or overperforms, but because it insists on humanity within a system designed to remove it. For Native Max, this story is less about AI’s future and more about Indigenous excellence in spaces that continue to expand, and the quiet power of showing up, prepared, and fully present.
MERCY is now in theaters nationwide.
