User Reviews

"No Mercy" is a film which draws upon two cinematic traditions. The first is the "tough cop" thriller which first saw the light of day in the late sixties and early seventies in films like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection" and which was enjoying a new lease of life in the eighties.

The hero of this film is Eddie Jillette, a Chicago cop who is investigating Paul Deveneux, the scion of a wealthy New Orleans family who has travelled to Chicago to hire the services of a professional hit man. In an attempt to entrap Deveneux, Jillette and his partner Joe pose as assassins for hire, but something goes wrong. Losado, the man Deveneux wants dead, is aware of his plans, and sends his own team of killers to Chicago. In a shootout, Jillette escapes, but Deveneux and Joe are killed. Jillette heads to New Orleans to investigate, but his presence is welcomed neither by Deveneux's family nor by the local police, and he soon finds himself in danger from Losado, who turns out to be a powerful local crime baron. Jillette's only ally (and she at first a reluctant one) is Michelle, Losado's beautiful mistress. (In the cast list her name is spelled as "Michel", but as that is the masculine form of the name this is presumably an error).

The other tradition on which the film draws is that of neo-noir, the genre which uses modern cinema techniques in order to produce a contemporary equivalent of the classic films noirs of the forties and fifties. The film contains some of the traditional noir devices, such as the blonde femme fatale, with Kim Basinger playing the part that in the heyday of film noir would have been played by the likes of Lauren Bacall, Lizabeth Scott, Gloria Grahame or Rita Hayworth. (Well, I know Rita wasn't normally a blonde, but she was one in "Lady from Shanghai"). As with many films noirs the hero has an idiosyncratic morality based on personal honour; in his pursuit of Losado he is inspired not so much by an abstract belief in law or justice (like many "tough cops" he has a "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude) but a desire to avenge Joe, who was not only his partner but also a close personal friend.

Like most neo-noirs, or at least like most good neo-noirs, "No Mercy" manages to find a visual equivalent to the brooding monochrome photography which was a frequent hallmark of the original noirs. As with many films in the genre, much of the action takes place at night, with the darkness acting as a visual symbol for the moral darkness which lies at the heart of the plot. There are some striking scenes of the industrial areas of Chicago, of the Louisiana bayous and of the sleazy, rundown quarters of New Orleans in which Losado operates.

Richard Gere makes a stylish hero, but he is perhaps rather too laid back, lacking the sort of intensity that the likes of Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis and Gene Hackman brought to their tough cop heroes. Kim Basinger, however, is excellent; of all her performances that I have seen I would rank this one second only to the one she gave in an even better neo-noir, "L.A. Confidential". Kim brings to the role not only her usual sex appeal (in my view she was, together with Michelle Pfeiffer, the loveliest Hollywood star of the eighties) but also some subtle acting. At first she seems, both to the audience and to Jillette, like a hard, brassy femme fatale; Jillette even assumes that she is a hooker. Gradually, however, she softens as her tragic story becomes apparent (she was "sold" to Losado as a child) and both we, and Jillette, come to realise that she too is a victim.

Like some of the other reviewers here, I am at a loss to understand why this film should have such a low rating on this board any why it should have attracted so many negative comments, with many seeing it as merely a "hackneyed" or "clichéd" thriller. Yes, it is a thriller, but it is possible to work creatively even within the confines of a formulaic genre, and "No Mercy" is in my view one of the better thrillers of the eighties. The action sequences, especially the final shootout in the burning flophouse, are effective enough to satisfy action-movie junkies, but there is more to the film than that. It is well acted, well photographed and well written- in all a superior sort of thriller. 7/10

No Mercy starts in Chicago where cop Eddie Jillette (Richard Gere) & his partner Joe Collins (Gary Basaraba) have had a bad day, pumping an informant for information they learn that a man & woman are in town looking to hire a hit-man to kill someone back in New Orleans. Eddie & Joe decide to check it out, Eddie poses as the hit-man & meets Paul Deveneux (Terry Kinney) & a striking woman named Michel Duval (Kim Basinger) who say they want a man in New Orleans killed but before any firm names or locations can be discussed Eddie & Deveneux are attacked in which Deveneux is killed & Eddie is badly injured. Across town in a hotel room Eddie's partner Joe is murdered & Michel vanishes, waking up in a hospital bed Eddie swears vengeance against those who killed Joe & travels to New Orleans to hunt down & kill those responsible starting with the mysterious Michel...

Released theatrically the weekend before Christmas during 1986 this decidedly average cop thriller was directed by Richard Pearce & is a lacklustre assembly line of cop thriller clichés & predictability. The script is strictly routine, a cop's partner/wife/family member is killed so sets off on some renegade mission to find those responsible & extract a little revenge breaking all sorts of laws along the way & generally not acting like a cop in any way. Then there's the obligatory romance that complicates even further, there's ruthless mob boss & the local incompetent police force as our hero shoots his way across New Orleans at will. There's firm but fair police chief, the final shoot out & just about every other cop thriller cliché you can come up with. One reason why I didn't think much of No Mercy is that it takes itself extremely seriously, there's no humour here at all & most of the best action cop thrillers from this period were stuffed with one-liners & the odd gag but No Mercy is as straight & in my opinion as bland & dull as they come. The character's are dull with almost no background, the main villain in particular has no great motive & quite why he is so protective & possessive of Michel is a complete mystery apart from he gave her mum a home a few years back. Yeah right, so? Everyone in New Orleans is depicted as inbred hill billies or rich folk with black servants which I am sure they are not.

No Mercy even disappoints on a mindless action level, there are a few minor car stunts, a few shoot outs & a few fights including some in a burning hotel but it's all pretty low key stuff that is generally very forgettable. There's a very minor & tame sex scene between Gere & Basinger but don't expect to see that much. The film tries to be gritty with lots of back alleys, dry ice & 80's neon lighting but the picture of New Orleans it paints is one where everyone plays the saxophone, sings, tap dances or drinks. I am quite surprised the makers didn't throw some voodoo mysticism & animal sacrifice in there too just to complete the stereotype clichés. Also, its it just me but does anyone else dislike the New Orleans architecture? All that wood is surely a fire hazard?

Filmed in New Orleans & Chicago the production values are decent enough but there's no energy or pace to it, No Mercy just plods along in a predictable fashion & while I was at there watching it I lost interest & think much of it just went over my head as it failed to captivate or draw me in. The acting is alright, Gere doesn't seem suited for an action hero role while Basinger actually looks quite old in this. The underused Jeroen Krabbé has nothing to do as the bad guy.

No Mercy (a generic title that has no meaning or connection to the film) is a plodding & very forgettable 80's cop thriller that quite rightly has been forgotten over the years while other cop thrillers of the time have gone on to become classics. Bland, predictable & lacking in action, I'm just glad I saw it on telly for free.

I don't care what the critics say. I was born and raised in Louisiana. Although most of the film was shot elsewhere, the French Quarter cannot be faked. I have been there so many times. Even today, it is still filled with great blues and jazz, vibrant colors, terrific smells and so many other things which cannot be faked on the back lot of a studio. Dutch actor Jeroen Crabbe is outstanding as the primary antagonist. Most people never noticed him until achieved worldwide fame in the blockbuster hit "The Fugitive" (1997). The supporting cast is much stronger than many people realize, as well. You have uncredited roles for terrific actors like Charles S. Dutton and Leon Rippy. Even Rick LeFevour does stunts in this film. Although I prefer "Angel Heart" (another New Orleans set film) which was released the next year (1987), this is still a very good watch; especially if you are a fan of Richard Gere and Kim Basinger. This is when they were in their prime.

Stop me if you've heard this one before: a loose cannon detective loses his partner when the latter is killed by a loathsome criminal, so naturally the detective becomes obsessed with vengeance and tracks the killer down to their home turf. In this case, the home turf is New Orleans. A key element that our detective latches onto is the presence of a sultry young woman who is supposedly the "property" of the bad guy. Richard Gere probably wouldn't automatically come to a lot of minds as a leading contender for this sort of detective role, but he basically does alright, and he works well with leading lady Kim Basinger; both stars look great as always. But what really helps to make this a decent if unexceptional entertainment for this viewer is that New Orleans setting, which is a very healthy asset to any film set there. That unique New Orleans atmosphere is definitely present and accounted for. The film, competently directed by Richard Pearce, gets down to business quickly and keeps up a pretty good pace while offering a fair bit of excitement and violence. The script, by Jim Carabatsos, doesn't offer anything that's terribly out of the ordinary, but the actors make the most of it. The film *does* feature an excellent supporting cast: William Atherton plays yet another of his patented Jerk characters whose lights you just want to punch out the first moment you see him, Gary Basaraba is reasonably likable as the ill-fated partner (you just *know* he's a goner because he's the married one), George Dzundza is solid as Gere's weary boss who ultimately supports him in his quest for vengeance, Terry Kinney is another victim of our bad guy, Bruce McGill is a grumpy N.O. detective, and Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbe, who got effectively introduced to American audiences here, is nicely understated as the villain, sometimes exploding into violence but never going the obvious route of throwing temper tantrums. Look also for Charles S. Dutton in a bit, and the late, great Ray Sharkey in an amusing cameo as Angles Ryan. Good action sequences are a plus, as well as a striking music score by Alan Silvestri, one compelling (and seemingly obligatory) journey through a swamp, and the finale, taking place inside a burning motel, which is a definite corker. "No Mercy" isn't anything great or even that good, but it's not without its moments. Six out of 10.

The acting all around was great. Gear, Basinger were great. Krabbe was also great, especially when killing Gear's partner. But the script and dialogue is very cut and dry. You hang on in there because of the acting and the scenery.

This opens in Chicago as cops Gear and his partner undercover as car wash attendants busting a drug deal. They later get a tip of a hit contract. They again go undercover as hitmen and meet with the contact and his girlfriend, Basinger, from New Orleans. The contact is killed, and so is Gear's partner, in a vicious manner, gutted like a fish, while Basinger watches.

Gear recovering in a hospital from escaping the hit on the contact is met by his partner's wife. She asked what happened, then leaves giving his partner's badge to him. Very well acted. It's all slow burn, but it works. Gear is now hell bent on revenge. He goes to New Orleans, finds Basinger. Tons of filler follows. And we have an old west showdown between Gear and Krabbe in an old hotel. All well done, but nothing special.

This needed a rewrite of the script and dialogue to excite these characters. Gear gets most of the screen time. But most of his backstory is just boring. Basinger's story is sad, but again it's presented in boredom. Krabb gets very little time. We know very little about him. Everybody else has very little backstory. Gear's partner's wife's scene in the hospital was the best. His partner was killed viciously, then we see his wife speaking with Gear at the hospital. This was the most effective part for me.

The action scenes were fine. The cinematography, editing, and music was all good. The film moves along. I can't say the movie was boring, but the characters were just thin. What saves it is the acting and the scenery.