FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Steineded How sad is this?

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Tweekums Art Jeffries is an undercover FBI agent who has crossed his superiors and been given jobs that might be considered beneath somebody of his experience. Simon Lynch is a nine-year old autistic boy with a talent for puzzles; one day Simon solves a puzzle and calls the number encoded within it. The puzzle is a test of an 'unbreakable' code, known as 'Mercury', crucial to the protection of key US assets and those behind it will go to any measure to hide the fact that it can be cracked... including murder. Simon's parents are killed and he is reported missing; Agent Jeffries is called in and finds Simon hiding. The murder is made to look like murder-suicide but he is unconvinced; soon it becomes apparent that Simon is still in danger although at this point Jeffries has no idea why. If he is to protect Simon he will have to uncover why is being hunted and by whom.While this isn't Bruce Willis's best action thriller it is still pretty solid. There are plenty of exciting action set pieces and a decent central story. It does require some suspension of disbelief... not only the idea that Simon could crack a modern code just by looking at it but also that somebody would commit murder to 'protect America' when Simon's actions don't pose a threat; they merely show the code wasn't as good as everybody thought. This isn't too much of a problem though as the story moves at a good pace and it is only when it is over one thinks of such matters. Films of this type often have an unnecessary romance and I thought this might too but that cliché was nicely avoided. Bruce Willis does a fine job as agent Art Jeffries and Alec Baldwin is suitably villainous as bad-guy Nick Kudrow. The stand out performance comes from young Miko Hughes who gives a great performance as Simon. Overall I wouldn't call this a must see but it is still well worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.

stephenrtod Made in 1998, "Mercury Rising" showcases Bruce Willis as a compassionate champion of one against a monolithic NSA that, even 14 years ago, acted as if it knew better than the American people what we needed to know, a surreptitious shadow governmental adjunct that took Machiavelli's central idea, that "The ends justify the means" to a hideous conclusion. As in many of Willis' other films, such as "Sixth Sense," Willis projects a strong, trustworthy male role-model for a troubled, albeit gifted, autistic boy of nine.What I enjoy best about this film, however, are the many intensely suspenseful "turns," throughout the movie, almost like a cinematic flow chart, in which the survival of the protagonists is extremely doubtful. This is a film in which truth overcomes malignant power, a work of art which illustrates what Helen Keller insisted is true: "I may be only one, but still I am one." The American people, and the people of the world, who need to continue to cherish freedom and hope, and work to instill and maintain both of those values until they're ubiquitous, need many more such movies.

FlashCallahan The NSA has developed what they think is an unbreakable code. They ran a test to see if anyone can decipher it by putting it in a puzzle magazine. Simon Lynch, an autistic boy, deciphers it and calls the NSA. The men in charge call their boss Kudrow, who is worried what might happen if this gets out, and orders Simon to be killed.The man he sends kills his parents and leaves when the police arrive. The FBI send Art Jeffries to look for the boy. Art finds Simon, and they go on the run......In the nineties, Willis lost his star power a little, and every now and again, he starred in your typical generic action thriller. And like Striking Distance, Last Man Standing, and The Jackal, it's nothing special, but its a must for Willis fans.As always in these types of movies, it starts with a set-up, this one leading to a bit of a meltdown for Art. He's involved in a robbery gone wrong and would you know it, it ends in a boy getting killed, thus Art will stop at nothing to protect Simon.The rest of the film involves Willis and Hughes (who is excellent) on the run from your atypical assassin, with supporting characters getting killed every now and again, with only Chi McBride as a friend, as the police are after him too.Baldwin is fine, but its little more than an extended cameo, with the two stars only meeting the once.The ending is silly, but its a nice little thriller which won't challenge the brain, with a nice ending.Plus, this film must hold the record for how many people actually duck when the Amin hero cries 'get down'.It won't win Willis any more fans, but it does its job.

Robert W. This was Bruce Willis at his finest. Although Mercury Rising was financially not well received, the film is a terrific thriller, solid acting, great story and just all around entertaining! One reviewer said this was more of a drama about autism and that's ludicrous. This is a thriller about a young boy who happens to have autism but to call this a drama or about autism at all is misleading. The film is part mystery, part thriller, part action and will entertain from beginning to end. Powerful performances from the lead cast make it worthwhile and riveting.Bruce Willis plays Art Jeffries and does a great job doing what he does best. No this isn't an award worthy performance or anything outstanding for Willis but he still carries the film well and Willis fans, like myself, will remember this. The star and stand out performance of this film is Miko Hughes who brilliantly plays autistic puzzle solver Simon. His performance is award worthy and I've always remembered it as one of my favorite performances. His chemistry with Willis is brilliant. Robert Stanton deserves mention in a small but pivotal role that I really enjoyed him in. Same could be said for Chi McBride who also does a good job. Alec Baldwin is good in his role as the villain. I would have liked a little more chemistry between him and Willis and I don't think he was outstanding in his role but he was definitely good. Kim Dickens is the female lead in the film and she does alright although I found her character very one dimensional for the most part.Harold Becker's direction is perhaps a little bland from time to time. It is true what some reviewers say that the film could have used just a little more action and some of the performances felt dry at times from Baldwin and Dickens, who are important to the entire film in many ways. Still the concept for the film is riveting and the story is delivered in a well paced, entertaining fashion. Anyone looking for a good thriller will not be steered wrong with this film. Its a movie that I watch from time to time again and again because I've always thought it was a great movie. Plenty of thrills, plenty of edge of your seat moments and a terrific performance from Hughes. 8.5/10