Almost Mercy (2015)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

What started out as an intelligent movie that might have had something to say about the deterioration of exurban America ended up being a juvenile rant. In order to have some sympathy for the actions of the protagonist her victims are portrayed as depraved hypocrites, but none of their actions forgive the infantile response of Emily. In fact, the only person who deserves more than humiliation is the pedophile priest.The two girls with the jerky jock kids are just innocent bystanders. What was their sin? Bad taste in dudes? Killing the relatively sweet but dumb coach was the act that lowered Emily to a level far below her victims. His "evil" was so banal as to be immaterial. There is no message here, only a childish temper tantrum.

I came by this movie by accident, I saw it under the horror genre and what struck me was the casting Bill Mosely (House of 100 Corpses) and Kane Hodder (Friday The 13th) so I was already expecting something good but unique and I wasn't disappointed... It wasn't even the well known actors that made it good Almost Mercy follows Jackson and Emily (whom narrates throughout the film) both sociopaths waiting to explode. The young kids are bullied throughout school because there a little different deemed strange. Events start to build up as they enter senior year, Emily finds drugs and partying whilst Jackson find guns this ultimately leaves him 2 months in an institution. During that time we see more into there home life which isn't so bad until Emilys mum kills herself and Jacksons dad he leaves to die.The dramatic part of the film is the ending, Jackson has plans to shoot up his school Emily not in agreement. Jackson couldn't go through with it at the gates and is caught and arrested. Dubbed the stronger of the two across the film will Emily finish of what Jackson had planned If you want something different this is for you even avid horror fans will enjoy this. Its a dark film more so in the content and issues, from high school shooting to a church paedophile ring exposed and cliché teenage drama, Its worth a watch or two nd should get a load more credit

There are two types of horror movies we see being scrounged up these days. There are the over the top flicks that make you "jump" with spontaneous startles or over the top gore. Then there are flicks that have something to say about modern society and cultural values, strewn in with over the top murder and other risqué elements. "Almost Mercy" sits comfortably in the latter category, bringing elements of social commentary in with over the top gore, sex, and violence.The story starts off by introducing Jackson (Jesse Dufault) and Emily (Danielle Guldin) as two outcasts in a small town in Rhode Island riddled with corrupt leaders, parents with addictions to pills and infidelity, and all kinds of terrible mentors that haunt Jackson and Emily's childhood. For a while, you feel a lot of sympathy for the two troubled youths. Dufault and Guldin have terrific chemistry and truly bring their characters to life. There are no awkward lines. Even their first on scene kiss doesn't feel or look terribly awkward. Sometimes it can be difficult for two actors to portray a life-long friendship, but Guldin and Dufault pull it off quite well!As with many horror films, there is no moderation. All of the characters are terrible, terrible people on a moralistic stand point. Jackson and Emily are made out to be the victims, until the last 20 or so minutes of the film where Emily finally snaps and ends up violently butchering almost all of the "bullies" that are introduced in the film. If you found yourself cheering for Emily, the film makers did their job properly. This is truly where the social commentary value lies. At some point you say to yourself "Wow, I'm cheering for the mass murderer right now." Emily's character does show a bit of humanity when her mother overdoses, but that seems to only add fuel to the young girl's rage.Overall, I was impressed by this indie flick. There are some scenes that drag a bit, audio quirks that caught my ear, and some make up / FX that seemed off, but thanks to the enthralling story, none of that really bothered me enough to turn it off in displeasure. Composition was fantastic throughout the story. Lighting was on point and there weren't any scenes where I was struggling to make out what was happening, which is a common flaw in a lot of low budget films. As mentioned earlier, the movie does drag at some points. There are sequences with many fast cuts to show long lapses in time which help push the story along fantastically. However, these are often followed by slow, droning scenes that creep along, not allowing the rebuilding of tension, just sluggishly moving the story to the next major plot point. I think the editor's could have shaved a good 6 - 8 minutes off the film and still came out with a fantastic final product. Oh, Rhode Islanders will love this movie, as it takes place in RI and you will recognize some of the locations if you're from the state.

Many horror films we movie goers watch nowadays fall flat from being near simplistic, or good. Surprisingly, "Almost Mercy" manages to display a solid, good horror film! First off, the execution of this film. The execution of this horror film was quite unique. It manages to display it's execution in the form of perhaps a drama film. The movie introduces a charming narration from certain characters of the movie, instead of simple convocations, and boring chatter. It adds some neat charm of which sticks out through out the entire film, making it quite enjoyable! Toward the end of the movie, which of course won't be spoiled, the movie takes on more elements on it's execution of which stands out to be unique, and entertaining to watch. The movie, along with that, also adds in an intriguing twist, once again ending up to be very entertaining, and extremely enjoyable.Next, the characters of the movie. Once again. The movie takes on this neat, unique tactic. Most horror films usually use recycled, clichéd characters, which can get quite tiring after a while. Luckily, the film surprisingly delivers some neat characters only seen in a rare collection of horror films in the past. Either way, the characters in this movie were interesting, showing unique personality, executions, etc. As said before, the movie delivers a character narration, of which ties in here. I felt as if the narration - like take on this horror film was necessary to say the least. The audience gets a full on view of what the characters are thinking, the audience also gets to experience how the characters will react, of which pays off as entertaining. Overall, the characters ranging from execution, to thought, and action was solid, and entertaining!Finally for the making of this film; the foundation, the plot. The plot felt new, and fresh. Something horror fans like myself have probably only seen once, or twice. For the genre, of course, the movie takes an interesting little take, of which, once again manages to pay off, giving the audience an interesting taste of the movies creativity, and style. Also, the plot has a nice tie in with most of the movies twists, and story executions, something of which means a big deal for audiences of which would like to become in depth with the film.Overall, this movie was charming, and fresh. It delivered many unique, simplistic details, as well as executions. The movie was great from start, to ending, successfully avoiding many clichés of which mostly upset horror genre fans. I'd recommend this to any horror fan looking for a solid, depth film that'll be sure to entertain!