Mercury Rising (1998)

An FBI agent (Willis) uncovers a plot to kill a nine-year-old autistic boy (Hughes) after he the boy cracks a 2 billion dollar government code.

Willis adds another stinker into his already impressive arsenal of misfires here. Following the plot proves futile as almost no one does things as any rational human being would. The bad guys seem to have a gift for finding Willis and kid any place they go with no apparent knowledge of where they would be. The police are stupid enough to think that the boy’s parents did a murder-suicide even though the mother was killed from a distance and the father called 911!

And even the plot is laughable: a couple of scientists want to prove the un-breakability of the code by putting it in a crossword puzzle magazine because of something called the “Geek Factor”. Alec Baldwin continues to prove my theory that he is a good actor with a knack for picking out bad films.

Oh, have I mentioned that Bruce Willis is the most undeservedly popular action star working today? Please go back to romantic comedies.

Qwipster’s rating: D

MPAA Rated: R for violence and language
Running Time: 111 min.

Cast: Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Miko Hughes, Chi McBride, Kim Dickens
Director: Harold Becker
Screenplay: Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal (based on the novel, “Simple Simon”, by Ryne Douglas Pearson)