IslandGuru Who payed the critics

Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

romanorum1 At the opening, "Shotgun" by Jr. Walker and the All-Stars is being played in the background as a sloppy police bust at a Chicago car- wash transpires. The two involved policemen wring from one of the captured drug dealers a potential hit; someone wants a Cajun kingpin in New Orleans bumped off. The two policemen – Eddie Jillette (Richard Gere) and Joey Collins (Gary Basaraba) – decide to pose as the hit men. It ends badly as the New Orleans' Cajun kingpin strikes first. Among the dead is Collins in a hotel room; a blonde with a parrot tattoo on her right shoulder may be implicated. Wounded, Eddie is chased in the Chicago Stockyards but somehow escapes. After recovering and obtaining permission from his superior – tough cop Capt. Stemkowski (George Dzundza) – Eddie is off to New Orleans to track down the bad guys who murdered his partner. The Deveneux family is totally non-co-operative; Paul Deveneux had been one of the shady guys killed in Chicago. Eddie's next step is to find a parlor that tattoos blue parrots on people. Next he works his way into a rough club in Algiers, a dangerous section of New Orleans. There he finds the blonde dancing and sweating. He extricates her as his captive with difficulty: There is a car chase as Eddie and the blonde, Michel Duval (Kim Basinger), wind up underwater with the Cajun kingpin Losado (Jeroen Krabbe) and his gang desperately shooting at them. Eddie and his bait Michel escape for the moment. He soon learns that she was given to Losado by her mother when she was just thirteen years old; she has never been with another man. So she is a victim, not a hooker. Eventually Eddie is captured and escapes again, Michel is left to Losado. Eddie did figure out that Losado smuggles in cheap labor, which he sells to the Deveneux clique. In the denouement Eddie is alone in the Algiers Point Hotel waiting for the confrontation with Losado and his gang of thugs. Only a cat hangs there. Michel arrives as she has fallen in love with him. But one does wonder how an out-of-state cop can set everything up without police help. And during the shootout no one seems to hear anything: No alarm appears to sound, no fire trucks arrive despite the large fire, no police arrive to stop anything. Nope, not until the absolute end! And then the crowd finally congregates as various rescue vehicles arrive. There are some nice sets, as when Stemkowski shows up at the NOPD and is appalled at Eddie's treatment. There is also the steamy love scene between Michel and Eddie. Then again, it is strange that Eddie uses a rifle shot to break the handcuff chain tying Michel to him, an action that easily alerts his captors. He could have used heavy stones or tools in the house where he and Michel stayed alone. Gere seems to take control of the movie and is believable as a sufficiently tough cop. Basinger finds her niche, playing a sympathetic and abused woman. The two have genuine chemistry together, and filming on location is always a plus.

Wuchak Released in late 1986, "No Mercy" stars Richard Gere as a Chicago cop who travels to New Orleans to track down a blond (Kim Basinger) who is linked to the murderer of his beloved partner. The film features a great love-to-hate villain, Losado, played by Jeroen Krabbé; a notable survival-in-the-swamp sequence wherein Gere & Basinger are handcuffed to each other; and an action-packed showdown in an old city hotel.Actually, I could do without the hotel showdown, as it comes off too cartooney and contrived (like when one of the villains barges right through a wall with his rifle -- Why sure!), but I suppose it can be accepted on the grounds of Western-like artistic license.There's loads of foul language but I found it realistic for these types of individuals in such critical situations. So I didn't mind it too much but my wife took (minor) offense.Gere's still relatively young here (36). I realize many hate him, but I'm a fan of quite a few of his pictures, e.g. "The Mothman Prophecies", "King David" and "An Officer and a Gentleman". Kim Basinger doesn't do much for me personally, although she's certainly pretty and her acting is effective here. I know it's a matter of taste but "No Mercy" provides zero 'babe appeal' for me.The film was shot in Chicago and Louisiana (and some parts in NC).The score is moving despite the dated mid-80s electronic drums.FINAL WORD: It's hard to put into words why I like this film to the extent of writing a review. It's nothing exceptional, but it somehow 'works' and gets better with repeat viewings. I bought the DVD a year & a half ago and have watched it three times since, which is something I rarely (if ever) do. I think what attracts me is that it's more than just a mindless cop/action flick, although it has the thrills if that's all you're looking for. "No Mercy" has something to say about love, loyalty, courage, justice, freedom and happiness, but it's smart enough to not spell it all out. Hence, not only is the picture enjoyable to watch due to the 'movie magic' but it can also leave you contemplating.The film runs 106 minutes.GRADE: B

jonmiller820 I gave it a five because its cooler than Relative Strangers but not as funny. its better than moon 44 and extraordinary gentlemen. this movie was more like internal affairs. No Mercy is similar to Rambo 2&3 with the badly acted foreign phrases. No Mercy is not bad. the dialog keeps the plot moving and the character development gaining acceptance with the audience. Which is more than I can say for death sentence. extraordinary gentlemen also has interesting characters and dialog. lord of the rings 1 also had these attributes and was more boring. than no mercy by far. No Mercy did a good job of exploring ca jun culture. the antagonist was complex and antagonistic. he is one of the most interesting characters.

John Jennings This is not one of my top 10 films of all times, but it is a solid genre piece with some interesting variations and local color.After Katrina, a film about New Orleans has a special interest that adds a certain sauce.If there are any weaknesses, some of Bassinger's line deliveries are a bit weak. Otherwise, superb acting all around. I have always thought Gere was something of a lightweight, but very solid work here.Unlike many films, they get the weapons handling VERY right.I am a bit confused as to why this film has been rated so low on average. I have the video, and watch it about once a year.