Mercury Rising wasn’t at all what I expected. I’m sure this film crossed my radar when it came out in 1998, but I just never bothered to learn more about it. The problem is that the plot is half generic action flick and half after-school special. I don’t blame Miko Hughes, because he was only doing what he was directed to do, and the kid is acting his heart out, but there were some moments with little Simon that were fairly awkward. I appreciate the fact that these filmmakers were trying to tackle the topic of autism back in the late 90s, but Mercury Rising just wasn’t the right vehicle for it.

I don't get the low reviews on this one. Classic Bruce Willis.

Mercury Rising is full of talent, but gets sludgy after the first 20 minutes. the 90s treatment of autism is also something to note.

Well, the soaring John Barry soundtrack makes up for a lot.

Couldn’t care less about anyone else’s opinion of this film I will love it forever and no one can change that

a little thriller not as bad as we read it. Certainly, not the best Bruce Willis film but it still holds up. Nothing exceptional but acceptable

I don't know what this movie was missing but it was definitely missing something. I have two main points: First, I appreciated the action shots and the script and the idea could've been amazing. I do not want to criticise too harshly, I know very few people who write these reviews, myself included, could do any better. However, what I said slightly earlier is exactly what I mean. It was missing something. It could be the suspense, it could be the lack of understanding towards certain characters (in my own point of view) or it could just be something small and mostly inconsequential that I personally missed, whatever it was, it wasn't there. Secondly, the portrayal of the autistic boy in this film slightly bothered me. I don't know how old this boy is exactly but his role shows him as more of a nuisance than the important character I thought he should be. The actual character is simply a host for the film to use the fact that the boy is autistic to provide a new way for the actual main character (Bruce Willis) to overcome new obstacles that (at the time of this being released) were not much explored. I think the portrayal could've been more accurate or wholesome. It would be fine as ASD is a spectrum but the fact that 90% of mainstream media depicts autistic people in the same way, like this film does, does not help its case at all. I personally did not enjoy the film but I do appreciate good choreography, cinematography and acting and like all movies with any action, I loved the high-action or combat scenes. I do adore a well made fight or chase scene in any film.

A nine-year-old boy with autism, Simon Lynch, is given a sophisticated puzzle book by his teacher. Simon quickly solves a particular puzzle and phones a number encoded in the solution. This call reaches two National Security Agency cryptographers, Dean Crandell and Leo Pedranski, who created the new cypher Simon has cracked. Pedranski and Crandell report the situation to their boss, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kudrow (Alec Baldwin), who severely rebukes the pair for their unauthorized actions, describing Simon and his abilities as a national security threat. Two assassins, Peter Burrell and Shayes, are sent by Kudrow to terminate the boy and his parents, Martin and Jenny. Posing as a police detective, Burrell murders both Simon's mother and father, but is unable to find Simon. FBI agent Art Jeffries (Bruce Willis), who was recently demoted to a desk job after an unsuccessful negotiation during a bank robbery hostage situation, is sent to investigate and finds Simon in a hidden crawl space in his bedroom closet. Simon is taken to a protection ward at the hospital, where a nurse explains to Art about Simon's autism, and probably can't be questioned. Burrell impersonates a doctor and makes another attempt on Simon's life. Art saves Simon and flees the premises, and tries unsuccessfully to convince Simon that he is a friend instead of a stranger. Later, while on a train, Burrell's partner, Shayes, tries to kill Simon, but Art intervenes, eventually managing to knock him off the train and onto the tracks just before another locomotive passes, running Shayes over and instantly killing him. The NSA, under Kudrow's direction, frames Art as the kidnapper of Simon... Rotten Tomatoes consensus states: "Mercury Rising lays the action on thick, but can never find a dramatic pulse to keep viewers -- or Bruce Willis -- engaged with its maudlin story." Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four, writing: "Mercury Rising is about the most sophisticated cryptographic system known to man, and about characters considerably denser than anyone in the audience. Sitting in the dark, our minds idly playing with the plot, we figure out what they should do, how they should do it, and why they should do it, while the characters on the screen strain helplessly against the requirements of the formula." James Berardinelli rated it one and a half out of four stars, saying: "The script for Mercury Rising is exceptionally tiresome and hard-to-swallow. ... Once again, certain standby plot elements -- the high-level government conspiracy and the maverick law enforcement agent -- are recycled, and not to good effect. While Bruce Willis can play the action hero as well as anyone in Hollywood, this particular outing leaves him marooned in situations that are characterized by too little tension and too much nonsense." (via Wikipedia) This Bruce Willis classic actioneer/thriller carries something different as the main storyline is about an autistic boy and his way of seeing things no one else does and the trouble he ends up in due to his autism. There´s an emotional touchpoint that does come through in this film despite "Mercury Rising" being a very standard Bruce Willis action/thriller movie.

Really good conspiracy plot in my book even though a bit silly, remember we all have special gifts no matter whether you are aware of it, so never stop exploring...

I always wanted a autism character in action movies.

I don't know what people are thinking. This is fun action movie with Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin. Neat plot and keeps you watching. See it for fun.

Back in the day I liked it. I still kinda have to like it. It's so 90's Bruce Willis.

Predictable and over the top, but still had a good time with this movie. ART IS A STRANGER.

Interesting storyline. The plot is good. Story development is nicely portrayed. I enjoyed this movie.

Mercury Rising is a supremely dumb but entertaining movie, rampant with cliches and groan-worthy dialogue and a story that's beyond implausible. Actually, it would have worked better as a comedy. But the laughs, numerous as they may be, are unintentional. Simon (Miko Hughes), a nine year-old autistic savant in Chicago, is working on a puzzle magazine when he comes upon a page of code that challenges readers to call a 1-800 number if they solve it. He solves it quickly and calls. Guess what? The code is called Mercury, and it's the newest $2 billion project of secret government intelligence agencies. The creators of the code put it the puzzle magazine as a kind of "geek test," to make sure that there are no civilians who could decode it. Did I mention "implausible"? The code apparently protects hundreds of undercover agents in the Middle East and elsewhere. Uhhh…..Did I mention "beyond implausible"? Evil agents from the Mercury project kidnap Simon and kill his parents. The FBI assigns agent Art Jeffries (Bruce Willis) to find him. Jeffries is a rogue agent assigned to desk duty after punching a superior officer. So of course, he's chosen for the mission (Did I mention implausible?......Yeah, I think I did). Jeffries finds Simon hiding in a closet, and on orders from Mercury operation chief Kudrow (Alec Baldwin), the kid is sequestered in a hospital. But the evil agents are after him, so Jeffries sneaks him out of the hospital. What ensues is a long string of fight scenes, gunfire scenes, chase scenes, car crashes, etc.---everything you'd expect from a Hollywood action movie. Baldwin recites lines that are so inane that it must have required multiple takes until he could keep a straight face. Willis's Jeffries also has a dope habit: He eats downers constantly. But they don't seem to slow him down when it comes time to bash the bad guys. Eventually, he doesn't want them anymore, so dumps them out of a car window. No withdrawal symptoms; instant rehab. How many times can I use the word "implausible" in a movie review? Hughes does his best, although I'm not sure how accurate his portrayal of autism is. Not that it matters much; it's just one more absurdity. Is there anything redeemable in all of this nonsense? Well, Willis, in spite of the idiotic movie he finds himself in, is interesting as he tries to befriend the boy. And like all good action movies, there isn't any boredom. Just lots of incredulity. Throughout the movie, I wondered if the filmmaker was trying to be facetious, you know, tongue-in-cheek. After sitting through it, I still couldn't tell. Not exactly an endorsement. Watch this one when you're in a dumb mood.

Predictable but not bad. Bruce Willis doesn't have to do much as the action formula is pretty much set out in front of him and the little acting he does goes along way.

It's rare for a Bruce Willis action movie to have moved my girlfriend to tears

As a movie, given the technology in the early 90s, it's not bad. Main motive of the crime in the plot, however, is a classic abuse of fact by the villain, which is always so childish that it feels detached for me. There are a number of better alternatives to handle the case instead of committing a crime again and again.

Another action/thriller from the old VHS collection and this one did not age well for me at all. 4.5/10

This movie focuses on a more dramatic aspect of an already not very interesting plot, and has like 4 action sequences. That's it. An action movie with 4 action sequences. The stroy is predictable and pretty slow paced, which makes the movie drag. The acting is mostly okay, besides the kid. I'm very sorry to say it, but the child acting annoyed me so much. I get that he's portraying an autistic child but he is so annoying. There's barely anything likeable about him anyway, which would be that his parents get killed early on, but he doesn't even realize it. As I mentioned before, this movie doesn't have many action scenes, but the ones that are, are actually pretty good, so that's enough for 2 and a half stars.