Mercy (2000)

Director:

Damian Harris

Writers (WGA):

David L. Lindsey (novel)
Damian Harris (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 February 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Venture into a world of deadly sexual pleasures.

Plot:

Detective Catherine Palmer investigates a series of sexually gruesome serial murders and becomes embroiled in a world of lesbianism and bondage after she becomes obsessed with one of the victims' paramours.

Plot Keywords:

Women | Detective | S&M | Murder | Bondage

Cast

Ellen Barkin	...	Det. Catherine Palmer
Wendy Crewson	...	Bernadine Mello
Peta Wilson	...	Vickie Kittrie
Karen Young	...	Mary
Julian Sands	...	Dr. Dominick Broussard
Stephen Baldwin	...	Mechanic
Marshall Bell	...	Gil Reynolds
Beau Starr	...	Lt. Fritch
Bill MacDonald	...	John Beck
Stewart Bick	...	Cushing
Ellen-Ray Hennessy	...	Murial Farr
Lara Daans	...	Dorothy Samenov
Claire Burton	...	Sandra Moser
Fulvio Cecere	...	Leeland
Zehra Leverman	...	Terry Ross

MPAA:

Rated R for language, drug use, and perverse sexual behavior including violence and nudity.

Runtime:

117 min | Argentina:114 min | USA:94 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 (TV rating) (self applied) | Argentina:18 | Norway:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Franchise Pictures

Trivia:

In the original script, the sex scene between Catherine and Vickie took place in the ladies room of the police station.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the beginning of the movie the detectives are examining the dead woman on the bed who is lying with her eyes open. As the camera pans up the dead body, you can notice the corpse blink right before the camera leaves her face. Worse still, the corpse has been mutilated by the killer and is not supposed to have any eyelids at all.

Quotes:

Vickie Kittrie: Well I wasn't exactly faithful to Dorothy.
Det. Catherine Palmer: Thats about the one thing we have found out in this investigation.
Vickie Kittrie: Do you know what I think sex is?
Det. Catherine Palmer: [realizing Vickie wants her] What?
Vickie Kittrie: A thrill like sticking your head into the mouth of the only Lion in the cage thats totally unpredictable.

Soundtrack:

Goodbye

B-movie trash at it's best.

Although it is not the most intellectually stimulating movie you will ever see, Mercy is well worth the rental price.

Ellen Barkin plays Katherine Palmer, a homicide detective tracking down a sadistic serial killer who chooses female victims from very wealthy and socially prominent circles.

Palmer finds a connection between the victims in Vicki Kitrrie (Peta Wilson) a mysterious and very seductive blonde who had a sexual connection with many of the victims. It seems that all the women belonged to a group that covertly engaged in lesbian sex and S&M. Palmer suspects someone in the group is the killer and must submerge herself in the women's sexual under world with Kittrie's help.

Yes, the plot is a straight to video exploitation standard. But the production values and the good perfomances by the leads make this a good watch.