Mercury Rising
Encyclopedia
Mercury Rising is a 1998 American action
thriller film starring Bruce Willis
and Alec Baldwin
. Directed by Harold Becker
, the movie is based on Ryne Douglas Pearson
's 1996 novel originally published as Simple Simon. Willis plays Art Jeffries, an undercover
FBI agent who protects a nine year old boy with autism
who is targeted by government assassins
after he cracks a top secret
government code.
where FBI Agent Art Jeffries (Bruce Willis
), who, as the inside man, protects a 16 year old kid named James while trying to talk a bank robber named Edgar Halstrom (Richard Riehle
) into surrendering. However, the FBI task force kills the robbers and James. Jeffries confronts his superior, who tells him he'd report to Washington
.
A cryptographic code
called "Mercury" was created by the National Security Agency
and allegedly so complex that its creators believe no computer on Earth can decipher it. Originally it was created during the Reagan Administration
as a test to keep the United States' highest priority secrets under wraps. One day, the NSA receives a message from a nine year-old autistic savant named Simon Lynch (Miko Hughes
) who calls a telephone number written in the code which was secretly published in a puzzle magazine by two of the creators, Dean Crandell (Robert Stanton
) and Leo Pedranski (Bodhi Elfman
), to see if anyone could break it. Lt. Colonel Nicholas Kudrow (Alec Baldwin
), who is the program chief, sees the boy's ability to decipher the code as a liability and rather than rectify the problem adequately, instead plans to silence Simon, sending a hit man and his partner to murder
the boy and parents.
After killing the parents, the assassin, Peter Burrell (Lindsey Lee Ginter), searches the house, fails to find Simon, and leaves at the sound of approaching sirens. Jeffries, who has been demoted following a diagnosis of delusional paranoia, is sent to investigate what is initially thought to be a murder-suicide of Simon's parents. While investigating the scene, Jeffries finds Simon hiding in a cache of his bedroom closet and takes the boy under his wing. Jeffries begins to realize the difficulty of protecting, let alone questioning Simon, because of his impaired social abilities as a result of his autism
, but the Chicago PD agreed to assign a protection detail to Simon. The situation is further complicated by the fact that nobody at the FBI believes Simon is in any danger, and Jeffries is soon framed by the NSA as a kidnapper, with only his best friend and fellow agent Thomas Jordan (Chi McBride
) aware that he did not commit the crime, since Jordan had been in contact with Jeffries when the incident began. Art takes Jordan's car and takes Simon to Simon's house where his parents were murdered the previous morning. Simon again calls the telephone number written in the code, and, after realizing that Simon is talking to Crandell and Pedranski, arrangements are made for a meeting at the Wrigley Building
. The next morning, he meets a woman named Stacey Siebring (Kim Dickens
) in a coffee shop and asks her to watch Simon for him while he goes to meet Crandell.
Art meets Crandell and they talk as they walk on a busy sidewalk. As Crandell tells Art about Kudrow the assassin shoots him from behind and casually walks away. After the shooting, Art goes back to the coffee shop, but Simon and Stacey are gone. He goes outside and spots them coming across the street. Stacey says she and Simon have become friends and Simon agrees. Art and Simon then abruptly leave Stacy. Later in the middle of the night, Art and Simon go to Stacey's place and Art asks for a place to stay. Stacey reluctantly agrees and tells Art that she was going on a business trip to Des Moines to make the rent the next morning.
Meanwhile, Leo Pedranski turns to him for help, but shortly after he is murdered too. However, he has managed to leave a letter detailing Kudrow's crimes, which his girlfriend, Emily Lang (Carrie Preston
) takes to the FBI and Jordan discreetly arranges for her to meet with Jeffries to show them both the carbon paper used to type the letter, which, being covered in Pedranski's fingerprints is crucial evidence in its own right. After the meeting with Emily, Art tells Stacey to call anybody for an emergency except the police, who were called off at the last minute, and gives her Jordan's number to contact if there was an emergency. While Jeffries introduces himself to Kudrow at his birthday party, and demands that Kudrow lay off Simon Lynch, Jordan under Jeffries' suggestion arranges for Simon to go into Witness Protection. After the meeting Jeffries contacts Jordan and Jordan explains how the Witness Protection meeting is going to happen, though they are unaware that their conversation over the phone is being monitored by Kudrow. When Jeffries returns and finds Stacey and Simon gone, he learns from Jordan that they are fine and will meet them there, just as Jordan is given an order to head to the FBI director's office.
Kudrow tries to have FBI SAC (Special Agent in Charge) Lomax (Kevin Conway) help him stop Jeffries by using his authority and the fact that Jordan arranged the Witness Protection under false pretenses. He plans to have the NSA take over the protection for the meeting spot. After Kudrow leaves, Jordan shows the evidence to Lomax and despite his initial doubts, Jordan confirms that the fingerprint markings on it were Pedranski's, now fully validating the evidence against Kudrow. Jeffries, with Jordan and a small FBI task force's help, set a trap at the meeting spot, in which they kill both Kudrow's hit man and then Kudrow himself, just as Kudrow grabs the screaming Simon in a last-ditched effort to get him back, and saves the boy as well as Stacey.
The film ends with Jeffries visiting Simon, now living with foster parents, at his school, who embraces Jeffries as a welcome friend, having finally accepted him as a person of his trust.
and The Siege
). Miko Hughes, however, won the category of Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor at the 1999 Young Artist Award
s for his portrayal of Simon.
Roger Ebert
gave the film two stars out of four, writing: "Mercury Rising is about the most sophisticated cryptographic system known to man, and about characters considerably denser than anyone in the audience. Sitting in the dark, our minds idly playing with the plot, we figure out what they should do, how they should do it, and why they should do it, while the characters on the screen strain helplessly against the requirements of the formula."
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
thriller film starring Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
and Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
. Directed by Harold Becker
Harold Becker
Harold Becker is American film director and producer from New York.-Biography:After studying art and photography at the Pratt Institute, Becker began his career as a still photographer, but later tried his hand at directing television commercials, short films and documentaries...
, the movie is based on Ryne Douglas Pearson
Ryne Douglas Pearson
Ryne Douglas Pearson is an American novelist and screenwriter who wrote the concept story and helped write the script for the 2009 film, Knowing. He also wrote Capital Punishment in 1996, Top Ten in 1999 and Simple Simon: A Thriller in 1996 which was filmed as Mercury Rising...
's 1996 novel originally published as Simple Simon. Willis plays Art Jeffries, an undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
FBI agent who protects a nine year old boy with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
who is targeted by government assassins
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
after he cracks a top secret
Top Secret
Top Secret generally refers to the highest acknowledged level of classified information.Top Secret may also refer to:- Film and television :* Top Secret , a British comedy directed by Mario Zampi...
government code.
Plot
The film opens with a hostage situation in South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
where FBI Agent Art Jeffries (Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
), who, as the inside man, protects a 16 year old kid named James while trying to talk a bank robber named Edgar Halstrom (Richard Riehle
Richard Riehle
-Life and career:Riehle was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Margaret , a nurse, and Herbert John Riehle , an assistant postmaster. He attended the University of Notre Dame....
) into surrendering. However, the FBI task force kills the robbers and James. Jeffries confronts his superior, who tells him he'd report to Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
A cryptographic code
Code (cryptography)
In cryptography, a code is a method used to transform a message into an obscured form, preventing those who do not possess special information, or key, required to apply the transform from understanding what is actually transmitted. The usual method is to use a codebook with a list of common...
called "Mercury" was created by the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
and allegedly so complex that its creators believe no computer on Earth can decipher it. Originally it was created during the Reagan Administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
as a test to keep the United States' highest priority secrets under wraps. One day, the NSA receives a message from a nine year-old autistic savant named Simon Lynch (Miko Hughes
Miko Hughes
Miko John Hughes is an American actor best known for his film roles as a child actor as Gage Creed in Pet Sematary , as an autistic boy opposite Bruce Willis in Mercury Rising and as Dylan, Heather Langenkamp's son in Wes Craven's New Nightmare .-Career:Hughes started his acting career in a...
) who calls a telephone number written in the code which was secretly published in a puzzle magazine by two of the creators, Dean Crandell (Robert Stanton
Robert Stanton (actor)
Robert Lloyd Stanton is an American film, television and stage actor, director and playwright. He has appeared in many films, including A League of Their Own and Confessions of a Shopaholic...
) and Leo Pedranski (Bodhi Elfman
Bodhi Elfman
Bodhi Elfman , also known as Bodhi Pine Elfman, is an American actor.-Career:Elfman has had film roles in Mercury Rising, Collateral, Godzilla and Armageddon, and smaller parts in The Mod Squad, Keeping the Faith and Gone in 60 Seconds.Elfman starred in the UPN television series Freedom, alongside...
), to see if anyone could break it. Lt. Colonel Nicholas Kudrow (Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
), who is the program chief, sees the boy's ability to decipher the code as a liability and rather than rectify the problem adequately, instead plans to silence Simon, sending a hit man and his partner to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
the boy and parents.
After killing the parents, the assassin, Peter Burrell (Lindsey Lee Ginter), searches the house, fails to find Simon, and leaves at the sound of approaching sirens. Jeffries, who has been demoted following a diagnosis of delusional paranoia, is sent to investigate what is initially thought to be a murder-suicide of Simon's parents. While investigating the scene, Jeffries finds Simon hiding in a cache of his bedroom closet and takes the boy under his wing. Jeffries begins to realize the difficulty of protecting, let alone questioning Simon, because of his impaired social abilities as a result of his autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, but the Chicago PD agreed to assign a protection detail to Simon. The situation is further complicated by the fact that nobody at the FBI believes Simon is in any danger, and Jeffries is soon framed by the NSA as a kidnapper, with only his best friend and fellow agent Thomas Jordan (Chi McBride
Chi McBride
Kenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He starred as Steven Harper on the series Boston Public, as Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, and recently appeared in Fox's drama Human Target.-Early life:...
) aware that he did not commit the crime, since Jordan had been in contact with Jeffries when the incident began. Art takes Jordan's car and takes Simon to Simon's house where his parents were murdered the previous morning. Simon again calls the telephone number written in the code, and, after realizing that Simon is talking to Crandell and Pedranski, arrangements are made for a meeting at the Wrigley Building
Wrigley Building
The Wrigley Building is a skyscraper located directly across Michigan Avenue from the Tribune Tower on the Magnificent Mile...
. The next morning, he meets a woman named Stacey Siebring (Kim Dickens
Kim Dickens
Kimberly Jan "Kim" Dickens is an American actress and model.-Early life:Dickens was born in Huntsville, Alabama, graduated from that city's Lee High School, and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in communication...
) in a coffee shop and asks her to watch Simon for him while he goes to meet Crandell.
Art meets Crandell and they talk as they walk on a busy sidewalk. As Crandell tells Art about Kudrow the assassin shoots him from behind and casually walks away. After the shooting, Art goes back to the coffee shop, but Simon and Stacey are gone. He goes outside and spots them coming across the street. Stacey says she and Simon have become friends and Simon agrees. Art and Simon then abruptly leave Stacy. Later in the middle of the night, Art and Simon go to Stacey's place and Art asks for a place to stay. Stacey reluctantly agrees and tells Art that she was going on a business trip to Des Moines to make the rent the next morning.
Meanwhile, Leo Pedranski turns to him for help, but shortly after he is murdered too. However, he has managed to leave a letter detailing Kudrow's crimes, which his girlfriend, Emily Lang (Carrie Preston
Carrie Preston
Carrie Preston is an American film and television actress, producer and director. Her husband is actor Michael Emerson, and her brother is actor John G. Preston.-Early life:...
) takes to the FBI and Jordan discreetly arranges for her to meet with Jeffries to show them both the carbon paper used to type the letter, which, being covered in Pedranski's fingerprints is crucial evidence in its own right. After the meeting with Emily, Art tells Stacey to call anybody for an emergency except the police, who were called off at the last minute, and gives her Jordan's number to contact if there was an emergency. While Jeffries introduces himself to Kudrow at his birthday party, and demands that Kudrow lay off Simon Lynch, Jordan under Jeffries' suggestion arranges for Simon to go into Witness Protection. After the meeting Jeffries contacts Jordan and Jordan explains how the Witness Protection meeting is going to happen, though they are unaware that their conversation over the phone is being monitored by Kudrow. When Jeffries returns and finds Stacey and Simon gone, he learns from Jordan that they are fine and will meet them there, just as Jordan is given an order to head to the FBI director's office.
Kudrow tries to have FBI SAC (Special Agent in Charge) Lomax (Kevin Conway) help him stop Jeffries by using his authority and the fact that Jordan arranged the Witness Protection under false pretenses. He plans to have the NSA take over the protection for the meeting spot. After Kudrow leaves, Jordan shows the evidence to Lomax and despite his initial doubts, Jordan confirms that the fingerprint markings on it were Pedranski's, now fully validating the evidence against Kudrow. Jeffries, with Jordan and a small FBI task force's help, set a trap at the meeting spot, in which they kill both Kudrow's hit man and then Kudrow himself, just as Kudrow grabs the screaming Simon in a last-ditched effort to get him back, and saves the boy as well as Stacey.
The film ends with Jeffries visiting Simon, now living with foster parents, at his school, who embraces Jeffries as a welcome friend, having finally accepted him as a person of his trust.
Cast
- Bruce WillisBruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
as Special Agent Art Jeffries - Alec BaldwinAlec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
as Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Kudrow - Miko HughesMiko HughesMiko John Hughes is an American actor best known for his film roles as a child actor as Gage Creed in Pet Sematary , as an autistic boy opposite Bruce Willis in Mercury Rising and as Dylan, Heather Langenkamp's son in Wes Craven's New Nightmare .-Career:Hughes started his acting career in a...
as Simon Lynch - Chi McBrideChi McBrideKenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He starred as Steven Harper on the series Boston Public, as Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, and recently appeared in Fox's drama Human Target.-Early life:...
as FBI Agent Tommy Jordan - Kim DickensKim DickensKimberly Jan "Kim" Dickens is an American actress and model.-Early life:Dickens was born in Huntsville, Alabama, graduated from that city's Lee High School, and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in communication...
as Stacey Siebring - John Carroll LynchJohn Carroll LynchJohn Carroll Lynch is an American actor, known for his role as Drew Carey's cross-dressing brother on The Drew Carey Show, and for his role as Norm, the unassuming husband of Margie Gunderson in Fargo....
as Martin Lynch - Kelley Hazen as Jenny Lynch
- L.L. Ginter as Peter Burrell
- Robert StantonRobert Stanton (actor)Robert Lloyd Stanton is an American film, television and stage actor, director and playwright. He has appeared in many films, including A League of Their Own and Confessions of a Shopaholic...
as Dean Crandell - Bodhi ElfmanBodhi ElfmanBodhi Elfman , also known as Bodhi Pine Elfman, is an American actor.-Career:Elfman has had film roles in Mercury Rising, Collateral, Godzilla and Armageddon, and smaller parts in The Mod Squad, Keeping the Faith and Gone in 60 Seconds.Elfman starred in the UPN television series Freedom, alongside...
as Leo Pedranski - Kevin Conway as Lomax
- Carrie PrestonCarrie PrestonCarrie Preston is an American film and television actress, producer and director. Her husband is actor Michael Emerson, and her brother is actor John G. Preston.-Early life:...
as Emily Lang - Peter StormarePeter Stormareis a Swedish film, stage, voice and television actor as well as a theatrical director, playwright and musician.- Early life :...
as Shayes - John DomanJohn DomanJohn Doman is an American actor best known for playing Deputy Police Commissioner William Rawls on HBO series The Wire from 2002 to 2008 and Colonel Edward Galson on Oz in 2001....
as Supervisor Hartley - Richard RiehleRichard Riehle-Life and career:Riehle was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Margaret , a nurse, and Herbert John Riehle , an assistant postmaster. He attended the University of Notre Dame....
as Edgar Halstrom - Jack ConleyJack ConleyJack Conley may refer to:* Jack Conley * Jack Conley , English footballer* Jack Conley...
as Detective Nichols
Reception
Bruce Willis won the 1999 Golden Raspberry Award as Worst Actor for his performance (as well as for ArmageddonArmageddon (film)
Armageddon is a 1998 American disaster film, directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth...
and The Siege
The Siege
The Siege is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Edward Zwick. The film is about a fictional situation in which terrorist cells have made several attacks on New York City...
). Miko Hughes, however, won the category of Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor at the 1999 Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
s for his portrayal of Simon.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film two stars out of four, writing: "Mercury Rising is about the most sophisticated cryptographic system known to man, and about characters considerably denser than anyone in the audience. Sitting in the dark, our minds idly playing with the plot, we figure out what they should do, how they should do it, and why they should do it, while the characters on the screen strain helplessly against the requirements of the formula."