Sans pitié

This is not one of my top 10 films of all times, but it is a solid genre piece with some interesting variations and local color.

After Katrina, a film about New Orleans has a special interest that adds a certain sauce.

If there are any weaknesses, some of Bassinger's line deliveries are a bit weak. Otherwise, superb acting all around. I have always thought Gere was something of a lightweight, but very solid work here.

Unlike many films, they get the weapons handling VERY right.

I am a bit confused as to why this film has been rated so low on average. I have the video, and watch it about once a year.

On the surface, this film, which I like, is like dozens of other revenge-the-death-of-a-cop-partner stories. But the saving grace of the movie is the characters, and some of the dialogue.

Spoilers in the following

Eddie Jilette is a tough cop. A tough Chicago cop. But what distinguishes the film that his Captain is tougher and nastier. In a later scene in the film, the captain and Eddie are in an airport where, in the Men's washroom, after making sure that they're alone, the captain gives Eddie a weapon to kill the villain, and expects him to use it. In most such films, a tough cop usually has a captain who's either a politician or a wimp. How refreshing!

The film also has a nice touch. Eddie rents all the rooms of a hotel in Algiers. The only inhabitants were the clerk and a cat. Eddie tells the clerk to beat it, because he's expecting a showdown battle there. Shortly before the battle commences, we see the cat leave the building.

One I've watched several times and one that's in my library.

No Mercy is one of those familiar revenge thrillers that offers no novelty whatsoever and is for the most part unoriginal but that doesn't mean it doesn't entertain.

Gere, a Chicago cop, goes to New Orleans to avenge the death of his partner. Basinger plays Gere's link to the crimelord and sparks fly between the two.

As said before, there's nothing original here, however there are some entertaining action sequences, solid acting from Gere and Basinger (who, by the way looks incredibly HOT), nice New Orleans scenery and a refreshing unsympathetic cruelty associated with Gere's character. He's simply not very likable and therefore a little bit more memorable.

No Mercy is a solid no-brainer but nothing all that special.

After receiving a tip from a suspect, Chicago cop Eddie Jillette poses as a hit man, he's to meet with a mysterious guy from New Orleans and from there uncover the plans. But things go awry and Eddie's partner and friend is brutally murdered, a stunningly gorgeous blonde seems to hold the key to it all, so Eddie heads South with revenge and anger driving him on.

80s popcorn thrillers get a hard deal on IMDb, it seems that many people visiting them for the first time post 1990, seem determined to judge them against the likes of multiplex favourites like Bad Boys. The 80s was far from being a great decade for action/drama movies, but there was a ream of tidy pieces that fulfilled the genre requirements for those so inclined. Here in Richard Pearce's No Mercy we have a protagonist hell bent on revenge {Richard Gere, lots of hair but acting with force}, a sultry blonde stirring passions {Kim Bassinger in the same year she turned heads in Nine 1/2 weeks}, and a weasel baddie with a pony tail {Jeroen Krabbé enjoying himself}, throw in swearing before it was a fashionable accessory, explosions aplenty and an ability to have the viewer shouting for our cop to bloody succeed at all costs. Yes there is the obligatory simmering romance under trying circumstances, and yes the ending holds few surprises to anyone who has watched films since 1930, but it's a very credible piece that is certainly more entertaining than some of the dross action pictures that are churned out weekly for the MTV generation these days. 7/10

No Mercy is a great movie that offers a lot of action, a great cast of actors and actresses, a very haunting melody as the base music in the soundtrack, and additionally, some really beautiful scenery. All of the actors do a really great job portraying their characters and there is a lot of action and subtle bits that endear the movie watcher to the character played by Kim Basinger. Richard Gere was a very cool "tough cop" in this film and he was a real looker needless to say. I have seen this movie more than once and still think it is a really entertaining film. Lots to offer INCLUDING a great soundtrack that has eluded me all these years. I would appreciate any tip that would help me locate one of the "out of print" CD's of this soundtrack. I most definitely would pay a reasonable price. thanks!