Back in October 2023, in the spirit of chills and thrills, Well Go USA released director/co-writer John Curran’s (Chappaquiddick) latest project Mercy Road, a high-octane thriller that doesn’t let up from the moment of ignition. The film walks the line of a fractured reality in such a way that one isn’t entirely sure what to make of the tale as a whole, empowering the audience to devise their own conclusion. Now, with the film coming out on home video, audiences can screen, pause, rewind, and otherwise explore Mercy Road at their leisure. However, be advised that this home release does not include any bonus materials that elucidate this enigmatic adventure, an aspect that will likely frustrate cinephiles who like to know how the mystery is made.
If you’re interested in learning about Mercy Road in a spoiler-free capacity, head over to the initial release review. Moving forward, we’re not going to be afraid to take the dark corners at high speeds.
Luke Bracey as Tom in MERCY ROAD. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
After a violent altercation, Tom (Luke Bracey) jumps into his car and floors it, immediately on the hunt for his lost daughter Ruby (Martha Kate Morgan/Jenna Pham). With night fallen and time an issue, Tom tries reaching out to anyone that might have information on her whereabouts, but that search is interrupted first by the police and then by an enigmatic voice (Toby Jones) who impresses upon Tom just how grave a mistake it was to do what Tom’s done. Now, in order to find Ruby, Tom must do as the voice says in making certain losses whole. But as Tom barrels down the roadways and rural streets of his town, one begins to wonder if any of this is real and where the line of psychological fabrication begins and ends.
A scene in MERCY ROAD. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
As mentioned in the initial theatrical review, the trailer for Mercy Road teases that everything in it occurs within the first 30 minutes. This is a smart way to clue the audience into the fact that if you think the trailer is wild for what it shows, imagine what it doesn’t. To that end, what follows in the remaining 55 minutes is not Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) wild, but it is quite challenging in the ways in which Curran and co-writers Jesse Heffring (Sigma) and Chris Pelletier quickly establish two very clear pathways for truth. On one path, Tom did interrupt some nefarious private dealing between Ruby’s stepfather and the voice and now Tom is required to complete the transaction in order to get Ruby back. This is not only plausible due to the sheer amount of information that is kept from us, the audience, and the way in which the voice seems to be able to use technology to impede or assist Tom at will. We’ve seen enough movies where people with a distinctive set of skills can overtake a satellite with a cellphone, so why wouldn’t the voice simply be a proxy for a shadow organization whose reach goes deep? Then there’s the other path, one which suggests that the strain of continued failed parental responsibilities combined with violent tendencies created a false reality in which Tom kidnapped Ruby after committing murder and the entire car ride is Tom coming to grips with his mistakes? As mentioned in my initial review, the narrative allows for so much interpretation between the literal and metaphorical that either argument is plausible. Even if one considers the significance of a title, Mercy Road, which is, itself, also the name of a place Tom travels in the film, as an allegory for the motorway of life and the exact moment Tom finds himself in, it’s also easily accepted as the name of a real street in a real place that these characters utilize for work and pleasure. The lack of concreteness remains due to the reliance on varying symbols and a small cast, with at least one (Huw Higginson) playing different characters to support the notion that perhaps Tom’s grip on reality is quite loose. It’s also just as plausible that Tom’s journey into himself through a forced-yet-guided process by the voice is a result of someone with extraordinary resources playing tricks on a stressed mind. If we allow the possibility in our confidence tales, we have to allow for it here.
All of that to say, my read on the film is figmentation and fragmentation.
Luke Bracey as Tom in MERCY ROAD. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
Much of the tale leans heavily on Tom’s mistakes due to poor emotional regulation and a history of alcohol. It’s what caused him to lose his wife and, it seems, shared custody of Ruby with one specific incidence slowly explored as the reason for both. Thereby, the voice is that part of Tom which is forcing him to admit things about himself that would otherwise be too hard to admit or confront. When faced with the loss of a child, especially when one’s own actions are the catalyst for it, Tom is the type of parent who will jump on the figurative grenade in order to save them. Thus, for the remaining 55 minutes, we see just how far he’s will to go and how much he’s willing to lose, including of himself, in order to save his child. The fascinating thing is that, even by the end, I’m not sure there’s much sympathy for Tom, though it’s unclear if that’s by design or merely my specific reaction. The fact that Tom’s lost his mind doesn’t make the film more interesting or engaging, especially when things like the spider sequence are entirely plausible and the stuff of actual nightmares. This isn’t to suggest that the threat of losing one’s child isn’t horrendous (as a father of two, my intrusive thoughts on the subject are quite vivid), it’s that there’s several instances of grounded terror mixed in with the potentially fabricated, thereby making the reveal of Ruby in his car the whole time less impactful as a resolution.
Unfortunately, as mentioned, there are no bonus features on the release that can explain or explore any questions that the audience might have. No behind-the-scenes featurettes, no interviews, no commentary, just a high-definition reproduction that plays wonderfully at home. With so much uncertainty in the home release market right now, getting a physical version of any film almost feels like a miracle, so it’s a major plus that at least Well Go released the film on Blu-ray and DVD. However, with so many questions regarding the true nature of the film, as well as my own curiosity about the process of making a film in which Bracey is virtually the only one on-screen, learning how they approached the project in pre-production, production, and post-production, would quench at least that proverbial thirst.
Luke Bracey as Tom in MERCY ROAD. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
Mercy Road is not exactly a curio, but it is a curiosity where the concept and execution are enough to get audiences in the door and mostly delivers on its promise. It’s tension-filled, it’s dramatic, and is thoughtful enough to inspire a rewatch to see what may have been missed or gone unconsidered in an expectation-high initial watch. Thanks to Well Go, those who like to re-explore have that opportunity, even if all we can do is rewatch Tom’s journey, hopeful for a more positive outcome.
No bonus features included with this release.
Available on digital October 10th, 2023.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD December 12th, 2023.
For more information, head to the official Well Go USA Mercy Road webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
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