Red Mercury (2005) User Reviews

Has the look and feel of a made for TV drama

[luke-283 · 5/10 · 6 May 2007]

First the positive The movie opens like a real thriller, with some good action shots with a pace and score that that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The cast all do a good job with their roles, the dialog and story line are credible for the most part. The score moves along well with the scenes.

On the down side the overall look and feel of this movie puts it squarely in the made for TV drama category. There are no real surprises. The action is quickly toned down to family prime viewing level and the drama level increases proportionately.

This, IMO, is not a bad movie but it doesn't offer the kind of entertainment value you would expect from a big screen film. It will do well on TV on both sides of the pond.

Should've been better

[bernie-122 · 5/10 · 4 July 2007]

Good cast, promising storyline, mediocre film.

It started off alright, then kind of shot itself in the foot. There was some blatantly bad science in the form of a computer hard disk being added to the bomb. It was without its cover. Hard disks do not operate in the open, they must have clean-room conditions.

What else wrecked it was all the side-tracks and sub-plots such as the druggie daughter. These added nothing to the story and were added presumably as filler. All it did was make the production look even more TV-ish.

Anyway, it's got some good one-liners and a few funny bits that might make it worth a watch.

"I don't live for Manchester United, I live for Islam"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 5/10 · 7 December 2020]

Some hostages are held in a Greek restaurant by some terrorists who also have a 'dirty bomb'. The British authorities negotiate with them. It has a few good moments but is not that gripping, particularly when dealing with the domestic problems of one of the negotiators and the ending is far too rushed. The story never seems that convincing. The twist at the end that reveals the source of the 'Red Mercury' was frankly ridiculous. There are some fine actors but their written roles didn't measure up to their talents. On the positive side there was good location shooting in London.

A Mature, Intelligent and Ambitious Thriller Let Down by Uninspired Direction and Terrible Production Values

[Afzal-s2007 · 4 August 2008]

With a cast of great TV actors, Stockard Channing, Pete Postlethwaite, Juliet Stevenson, to name but a few, and an excellent script from the writer Farrukh Dhondy, I was definitely interested to see the film when it was listed on satellite TV.

What other films with the subject nature of terrorism fail on is insight into character. As a long standing British Asian writer and educator, Dhondy has a clear insight into the three dimensional Asian terrorists he has created (all well played by young, little known actors). These are people he understands intimately, and represent the patchwork nature of British Islamism. Further, Dhondy does not flinch from telling harsh truths, both about Muslims and Non-Muslims. It is a must for all who want an insight into the roots of British Islamism.

Moreover, Dhondy's gifts as a storyteller also shine through and his script is intelligent, funny and gripping, a rare combination. His only fault is in trying to pack too many characters and plot-lines in. I can understand he was trying to create a climate around the theme of generation gap and cultural degeneration, but the tapestry feeling seemed a little contrived.

What lets the film down is its clearly pathetic budget. In a small, low-key drama, this hardly matters. However, in an upmarket, 'big' thriller such as this, the cheap production jars in the eye of the viewer. This doesn't matter so much when dealing with the holed-up terrorists and their hostages, but on the parallel plot following the police, it really shows. The police seem to have the resources not of the entire Met, but of a village police station. Related to this, the direction, while competent, is also uninspired, making it look very much like another piece of unoriginal TV, and there is one truly howling continuity error, for which the editor should be shot (figuratively, of course).

Red Mercury certainly would have been better off as a Channel 4 Mini Series, instead of the childish, unimformed Britz (a major Channel 4 mini series of 2007- even stranger when you consider that Dhondy himself was a senior Channel 4 Executive for many years). It is also a real shame that this film was made in 2005, clearly just before the London Bombings, as its ultimately upbeat message was obliterated by the actions of real 'home-grown' terrorists. This must have been one of the reasons for its commercial collapse when it was finally released.

Boring and absurd!

[RodrigAndrisan · 2/10 · 29 December 2020]

No, it doesn't worth watching, it's super boring, the whole "action" is actually a long talk inside a restaurant. The character played by Stockard Channing is the coolest, the only one with balls, a woman. At the same time, the actress plays a good role speaking with a Cypriot accent. Only 2 stars from me for Stockard Channing.

Very tense well written thriller

[mentalmummy · 7/10 · 4 June 2007]

Three Muslim men making a bomb are tipped off that the police are after them and run out of their flat as the police arrive, thinking on their feet they go into the nearest open building, a Greek restaurant, and hold the staff and patrons hostage while they try to figure out a way to complete their plan.

The script is well written and the acting is very good throughout, the tension is kept up well and you do end up understanding why some of the men think the way they do.

The police are shown as very clever and quick thinking, which makes a nice change as often they are portrayed as foolish,and the film seems very realistic with the obligatory dramatic finale of course.

Overall a decent, interesting film which I doubt many would be bored by and one worth a look if you're bored or just fancy a good thriller.

SPOILER: While the film is tense and dramatic most of the time there is one scene that made me laugh out loud and provided a touch of light relief to the tension.

Stockard Channings character intervenes in the process of making demands with a request concerning the Elgin Marbles. As the police and MI5 read the list of demands they pause, look confused and then we find out what was added....

Timely, British thriller

[sd0006 · 9/10 · 28 August 2005]

Had a chance to catch this film at the Montreal World Film Festival. The screenwriter was there to introduce the film, and some interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes. This movie was released just before the London bombings, so the timing was eerie.

The movie tries to cover a lot of ground, as it reveals some back story of the terrorists, as well as the hostages. Some high powered British movie stars play in this movie, including Stockard Channing. Ron Silver is in it as well. When I think back to it, the movie plays a bit like "24". The movie has a good pace to it, not too slow. I expect this movie will be released in the U.S. as well; worth watching.