"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
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
