Somebody clearly wants to emulate Lynch, this giant sleeping-pill of a film literally shoves it in your face. Too bad then that this utterly pretentious and contrived piece of junk is a billion light-years away of achieving that magnificent and creepy surrealism Lynch is known for. What did this hack of a director think? That making a movie in black & white, setting the pace to snail-mode, making it as killingly minimalist as possible, and last but not least, having a Laura Dern-lookalike as the female lead, somehow would turn it all into a masterpiece of Lynchian dimensions? Most likely.Everything about this movie feels forced and unnatural and I was bored to tears watching it, it's essentially nothing pretending to be something. If you have any sense at all, don't listen to the rave reviews this has got, instead go and watch Eraserhead again. Now that is truly surreal and existential dread for you!

Patrick Roddy has crafted a very impressive film as his directorial debut. The look and feel are awesome. The acting, particularly of the lead, is exceptional. The pacing - slow at first, then building - is effective in giving the viewer an initial feeling of monotony, followed by increasing anxiety. The plot developments were not broadcast, but made sense as they evolved. Some of the acting may come across as somewhat theatrical, but it works in that it fits in the style of earlier movies that Mercy reflects. A couple of the minor characters were notable standouts in their quirkiness - the bartender and the parole officer. Roddy has created a excellent film noir achievement.

I recently saw Mercy and was quite impressed. I get pretty tired of seeing stupid horror flicks that are gratuitous just for the sake of the genre and to cover up the lack of content in the film. Mercy, however, was a nice change of pace. It is more of an art/horror film, and is very smartly done. The pacing can be slow at times, but it only supports the main themes of the film- the life of John Mercy, the story's protagonist, is slow and monotonous. Some of the shots in the film are beautifully composed and the score seems to creep into the subconscious of the audience. Oh yeah, there is some gore and it is pretty awesome. If you can appreciate good stories or the horror genre, check this flick out!