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Created May 24, 2011 07:22AM PST • Edited May 24, 2011 07:22AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Barely OK 2.0

   Generally, an action thriller movie has action and some type of palpable tension. In the movie Mercury Rising, we have neither, squandering a wonderful opportunity to build on an intriguing story premise.

   Brue Willis plays Art Jefferies, an FBI agent assigned to protect a 9 year old autistic boy named Simon (Miko Hughes), who has the ability to crack a top-secret new military code developed by the US government. Simon loves to solve word puzzles, and the government is horrified when it learns that the boy has figured out the hidden messages. Government bad guy Nick Kudrow (Alec Bladwin) can’t have his new code comromised, so he decides to kill the child.

   So, we have an intriguing storyline, with lots of opportunities. But the movie fails to build on many of them. Instead we have Bruce stumbling around for much of the film, pontificating about having to do the right thing, and spewing out about “..He’s just a kid…”. Then throw in the usual cliche’s about hiding out at your partner’s house.

   Too many missed opportunities make this film one that is not memorable.

4. Acting

   OK 2.5

   I like Bruce Willis, and I can’t really fault him for the lack of dramatic buildup and cheesy storytelling. Hughes is good as the autistic kid.

5. Male Stars OK 2.5

6. Female Stars OK 2.5

7. Female Costars OK 2.5

8. Male Costars OK 2.5

10. Film

    Barely OK 2.0

11. Direction OK 2.5

    Ho-hum job by the director. It seems to be just enough to squeak by without being truly memorable.

12. Play Pretty Bad 1.5

    Never builds on the dramatic tension of thrills that it promises.

13. Music OK 2.5

14. Visuals OK 2.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 1.9

17. Sex Innocent 1.2

18. Violence Fierce 1.8

19. Rudeness Profane 2.6

21. Reality

    Glib 1.7

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.8

23. Biological Glib 1.7

24. Physical Glib 1.5