Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Mercury Rising (1998)
Mercury Rising
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Mercury Rising (1998) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 70 | slideshow) Videos
Mercury Rising (1998) -- Post

Overview

User Rating:
5.7/10   18,858 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Harold Becker
Writers (WGA):
Ryne Douglas Pearson (novel)
Lawrence Konner (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Mercury Rising on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 April 1998 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
Someone knows too much. more
Plot:
Bruce Willis is an outcast FBI agent who is assigned to protect a 9 year old autistic boy who is the... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Code | Boy | FBI | Assassin | NSA
more
Awards:
2 wins more
NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
Knowing (Film Review)
 (From Fangoria. 20 March 2009, 7:10 AM, PDT)

Slideshow: 22-Image Gallery From ‘Knowing’ With Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne
 (From HollywoodChicago.com. 9 March 2009, 9:52 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
What is really sad is the grain of truth in this story more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bruce Willis ... Art Jeffries

Alec Baldwin ... Nicholas Kudrow
Miko Hughes ... Simon

Chi McBride ... Tommy B. Jordan

Kim Dickens ... Stacey

Robert Stanton ... Dean Crandell

Bodhi Elfman ... Leo Pedranski (as Bodhi Pine Elfman)

Carrie Preston ... Emily Lang

Lindsey Ginter ... Burrell (as L.L. Ginter)

Peter Stormare ... Shayes

Kevin Conway ... Lomax

John Carroll Lynch ... Martin Lynch

Kelley Hazen ... Jenny Lynch

John Doman ... Supervisor Hartley
Richard Riehle ... Edgar Halstrom
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Mercury Falling (USA) (working title)
Simon (USA) (working title)
Simon Says (USA) (working title)
Simple Simon (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violence and language.
Runtime:
111 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Denmark:15 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | South Korea:15 (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | South Korea:18 (DVD rating) | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | Spain:13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)
Filming Locations:
Chicago, Illinois, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The wine that Art opens in Kudrow's basement is Chateau Petrus from Pomerol (identifiable by the red seal at the bottom left corner of the label), probably the most expensive Bordeaux red wine, and contrary to what Art said in the movie, even young Petrus costs much more than $75 per bottle. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Waste bin in Leo's flat is under the desk when Leo throws the carbon paper away. Yet when Emily finds bin, it is part way out from underneath desk. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
FBI Supervisor Hartley: Let's go down.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Watch the Mercury Rising (1999) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Evil (Is Going On) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
56 out of 79 people found the following comment useful:-
What is really sad is the grain of truth in this story, 17 August 2002
Author: Charles B. Owen from East Lansing, MI

Mercury Rising is a very conventional "government bad guys" story about evil agents out to kill an autistic boy who can break their top code. Of course, the premise of the movie, that the government would rather kill someone who can break their code rather than fixing the problems with the code, is incredibly stupid. If one boy can break the code, isn't is reasonable that some other boy in Russia or wherever can also break it? If it has a flaw that allows the kid to find the pattern, doesn't it need to be fixed? Of course, not. We just kill the kid and pretend nothing ever happened.

But, what is really sad is that there is a grain of truth in this story. It is the policy of the US Government that TRYING to break codes is illegal. If you are smart enough to figure out that the DVD encryption has a major flaw, it's not the fault of the designers, it's your fault. Researchers who have discovered flaws in codes, watermarks, etc, have been arrested. This "head in the sand" policy has been around for a long time.

So, next time you see this movie, just think how easy it would be to combine this attitude with someone a bit too gung ho.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Mercury Rising (1998)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
John Barry - Mercury Rising score hacrologix_relogix
His Pistol freshguy54
i have a question abrelsford
10 years already!? zee_deveel_17
is it just me or... krackajap
Serious plot flaw in the hospital rohosmit
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Incredibles Live Free or Die Hard The World Is Not Enough Eraser Face/Off
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Action section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.