No Mercy Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
When passion and hatred know no limits, expect no mercy.
Maverick Chicago cop Eddie Jillette poses as a hit man to meet with someone in from New Orleans looking to have a job done. The result is that both the guy and Jillette's partner wind up very dead, while a stunning blonde in on the setup disappears. He heads south to settle the score and soon finds himself being hunted, with the girl in tow and the local police anything but happy. New Orleans may never be the same again.
| Richard Gere | Eddie Jillette |
| Kim Basinger | Michel Duval |
| Jeroen Krabbé | Losado |
| George Dzundza | Captain Stemkowski |
| Gary Basaraba | Joe Collins |
| William Atherton | Allan Deveneux |
| Terry Kinney | Paul Deveneux |
| Bruce McGill | Lieutenant Hall |
| Ray Sharkey | Angles Ryan |
| Marita Geraghty | Alice Collins |
| Aleta Mitchell | Cara |
| Fred Gratton | Quiet |
| Dionisio | Pinto |
| Ray Brown | Benny Blue |
| Kim Chan | Old Asian Man |
| Richard Pearce |
5.30 out of 10 (1568 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Fiery thriller with an excellent Gere
posted on 05 Aug 2008Judging by the 5.3 rating and only two threads on IMDb, this impressive thriller hasn't received the credit it deserves. It delivers by melding a vibrant visual energy with an emotional current, as Richard Gere's cop "Gillette" pursues and is pursued by a dangerous drug dealer over the brooding New Orleans setting.The plot sees Losado kill Gillette's partner after the pair go out into New Orleans posing as the hit men contracted to kill him. Losado's 'property' Michelle (Basinger) is a witness that Gillette takes prisoner, prompting Losado to lead chase. In a refreshing alternative, the narrative distance is not covered in the conventional gung-ho style of most 80s action thrillers, but is given a spare and forbidding tone that remains when Losado is off-screen.While most action sequences from that decade seem cheesy or overblown today, in "No Mercy" Gillette's will to avenge his partner's killing and Losado's will to capture Michelle give the well-drilled proceedings a fiery edge. This effect is aided by Alan Silvestri's sultry flute score and its rapid switch between pounding beats (echoing Gillette's racing pulse) and a dark caution that evokes the characters' internal states. The music also penetrates the film's humid New Orleans swamp and field setting and is especially resonant during Gillete's explosive showdown with Losado in an isolated hotel. In a film with moments of intensity and sadness, Gere delivers his best work as the angry "Gillette," with his ballsy attitude tempering traces of misogyny and solitude, with it being suggested in a scene with his partner's dead wife that his own wife either abandoned him or died suddenly. His misogyny is reinforced in some solid antagonistic scenes shared with Basinger's sympathetic "hooker with a hard luck story" and the pair's separate grief is effectively rendered before it evolves into a mutual respect, overdone only when Gillette's romanticism is fully awakened in a half believable climax.8/10. An underrated effort directed with feeling. It has the exterior toughness of a good cop thriller but doesn't shield from evoking the brooding sadness in its characters, elevating it over most other thrillers of the period.
Stale revenge story - utterly familiar.
posted on 22 Apr 2008In 1986, when No Mercy was released, two names that would be near the top of any "World's Sexiest Man" and "World's Sexiest Woman" lists would have been Richard Gere and Kim Basinger. In getting these two gorgeous people together, the makers of No Mercy then committed the age-old sin - they forgot to provide them with a decent story! Gere plays Chicago cop Eddie Jillette. Whilst on a case, Eddie's partner Joe (Gary Basaraba) is brutally murdered by French gangster Losado (Jereon Krabbe). Jillette heads down to Losado's New Orleans lair to avenge his partner's death. There, he meets gangster's moll Michel (Kim Basinger), a stunning woman desperate to get away from her sadistic lover but too afraid to do so. She and Jillette end up handcuffed together, hiding out in the dangerous Louisiana swampland from Losado and his heavies. Immediately, you can see that No Mercy is riddled with stale plot devices - cop avenging the death of his friend; hero stealing a lover from the villain; usual fish-out-of-water ideas (this time a Chicago cop working in New Orleans); even the swamp sequence has a whiff of The Defiant Ones and The 39 Steps about it. The film is also excessively grim and nasty, with Krabbe in particular struggling to do anything as a one-dimensional, knife-wielding sadist. The action high-spots, including a climactic shootout in a burning hotel, are quite expensive-looking sequences but, like the rest of the film, are oddly uninteresting and unoriginal.
no real excitement either (4.5/10)
posted on 19 Oct 2007i wanted to like this movie,but i just couldn't.it'a a formulaic crime dram,but that isn't the problem.the problem is,it's slow and unexciting for the most part.it has a few good moments,but those are few and far between.i felt like i was waiting for ever for something to happen.Richard Gere stars with Kim Basinger.Geer was decent,but not fantastic,and i was not at all impressed with Basinger in this particular movie.there's a also a romance angle that i didn't find convincing or interesting.i won't say who the characters involved are,but i felt zero chemistry between the actors,which is sorta important for any romance aspect.i also thought some of the dialogue was a bit silly.overall,i was fairly bored with this movie.it's not terrible,but not very good either.my vote for No Mercy is a 4.5/10
Steer well clear of this hackneyed twaddle.
posted on 09 Feb 2007I would have no mercy on those who perpetrated this ludicrous and totally unrewarding twaddle, which caused me to waste almost two hours I could have far more valuably spent doing almost anything else. I must however show not only mercy but the highest respect for the magnificent efforts made by both Kim Basinger and Richard Gere to wring every drop they could out of the terrible script with which they were faced. In particular I very much respect their long ordeal handcuffed together in the Louisiana swamps (in a poor imitation of Alfred Hitchcock's "39 steps" - he at least knew how to create a movie with real tension). This must have quickly led to very bruised wrists, which would have made the film extremely painful for them to make. Solely on the strength of their performances, I will rate the film at 2/10. In all other respects this is a perfect example of one of the types of film from which I normally try to steer well clear.
Down in the bayou
posted on 11 Jan 2007Richard Gere is the tough Chicago cop who goes to the Big Easy to track down the killer of his partner. This killer is a much feared hood in New Orleans named Losado. While down there Gere runs into Kim Basinger, a "slave" of Losado's, and he becomes determined to free her as well as kill Losado. This is all very typical thriller fare, although it can be pretty suspenseful at times--especially in the bayous and, of course, the big ending where Gere gets his man in a nail-biting shoot out and fire. But after you've seen this, ask yourself the next day how much you can remember. Note: There's a scene in the picture that's stolen directly from Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps": Gere and Basinger are handcuffed together as they make their escape through the swamps.
5 because...
posted on 21 May 2006I gave it a five because its cooler than Relative Strangers but not as funny. its better than moon 44 and extraordinary gentlemen. this movie was more like internal affairs. No Mercy is similar to Rambo 2&3 with the badly acted foreign phrases. No Mercy is not bad. the dialog keeps the plot moving and the character development gaining acceptance with the audience. Which is more than I can say for death sentence. extraordinary gentlemen also has interesting characters and dialog. lord of the rings 1 also had these attributes and was more boring. than no mercy by far. No Mercy did a good job of exploring ca jun culture. the antagonist was complex and antagonistic. he is one of the most interesting characters.
Background Better Than Story
posted on 18 Apr 2006On 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 followingEddie 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.
Blistering revenge and fire hot love in New Orleans.
posted on 15 Jan 2006This is a passionate drama that keeps heating up right to the interesting, but over blown finale. A rouge Chicago cop(Richard Gere)travels to 'The Big Easy' and becomes a hit man in order to avenge the murder of his partner. This plot is nothing new, but the dynamic Gere pretty much takes control of the movie. And in scenes with Kim Basinger, the no nonsense detective and the New Orleans vixen about set the screen ablaze. The big showdown in the hotel is a bit contrived, but lets you know justice prevails.Gere and Basinger are outstanding together. Just the eye contact can speed up your breathing. George Dzundza plays a cautious police captain. Ray Sharkey has a small role as does Gary Basaraba. Jeroen Krabbe is one fearsome villain that deserves his demise. Love, hate, passion, violence and revenge leaves no room for mercy.
Good Film
posted on 20 Nov 2005Although the film is a bit dated, it is worth watching for Kim Basinger's performance as an illiterate bayou girl. Compare this performance with the super smart callgirl in LA Confidential -- she does have range.
Buy it used at the cheapest price -- you won't be disappointed.
Action, adventure, beautiful scenery and women, plus explosions. A real Man's Movie.
posted on 11 Sep 2005Kim Basinger is young and gorgeous. Richard Gere is, well Richard Gere. He's dapper, sexy semi-nude and the good guy. What else is new? He's a Chicago cop who's partner gets murdered and he thinks Basinger, can lead him to the killer. Beautiful scenes of Louisiana bayou and attention-grabbing chase scenes make this an enjoyable movie for all. And don't forget the love scenes for the women and the fighting and torching of New Orleans for the men. A fun couple of hours.
19th century Cajuns transported to 1980s cliched drama
posted on 28 Jun 2005First off, I was born and raised in Louisiana so I rolled my eyes through most of this travesty. Like other movies, New Orleans seems to be stuck in a time long ago. It contains most of the stereotypes people have of LA, which are exactly that, stereotypes - dirty people, illiteracy, inaudible gibberish, corruption (OK, well corruption is still there for the most part). Therefore the film has quite a few inaccuracies that are hard for someone with my background to watch. The only positive is the accents were better than what I remember from the "The Big Easy." 1/10
Why Ratings So Low?
posted on 02 Apr 2005This 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.
Richard Gere and Kim Basinger
posted on 04 Sep 2004Richard Gere is a Chicago cop on the vengeance trail as he follows his partner's killers to New Orleans to settle his own personal score. The film moves at a brisk pace as Eddie Jillette and a Cajun sexpot flee through the Louisiana bayous from a murderous crime lord who wants his baby doll back and to get his hands on Jillette to mete out the same fate his partner got in a Chicago hotel room. Gere and Kim Basinger go very well together, and the chemistry between them adds to the film's realism. Basinger is the sexy Michel who is spoken for but finds herself falling for Jillette, although the two clash repeatedly while handcuffed together as they attempt to elude the brutal Losado. George Dzundza has a nice turn as Jillette's superior and Jeroen Krabbe is measured and deliberate as the Cajun butcher. The film's ending is explosive and predictable but is also exciting and a solid windup to a fine thriller.
Revenge has no mercy.
posted on 05 Mar 2004After 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
Looking for the SOUNDTRACK
posted on 18 Oct 2002No 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!
the usual pap Basinger and Gere would be in
posted on 06 May 2002Look it is not that this movie is bad, it's just not very good. The usual hollywood mix of beautiful blonde girl(prostitute of course), vigilante cop, lots of car chases and several references to Basinger's breasts.Okay if you like that sort of thing, but even this has been done better elsewhere.Not recommended unless it's late night when there is nothing else on.
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"I keeled yore freend...Eh-dee."
posted on 28 Nov 2008In the very small "Chicago cop livestock crawl swamp swimming crawfish headsucking revenge" genre this is by far the best of all time! haw haw
Richard Gere plays Chicago undercover dick Eddie Jillette who, along with his partner, were unwittingly being hired by Kim Basinger's rich New Orleans boyfriend to kill this really bad meanie Losado, played by the ultra-unlikable Jeroen Krabbe, who we find later has "owned" Kim since she was like 12 years old. Unfortunately, Losado gets wise to the deal and follows Kim to Chicago where death and mayhem ensue, particularly to Jillete's partner who was "guh-tted like a peeg."
Well, Gere goes down to New Orleans looking for clues to his partner's killer with predictable results. In the process, William Atherton the brother of dead murdered and killed boyfriend shows off his wimpy backhand, and then gets threatened and carwrecked by Jillette, probably because he was such a jerk in Die Hard. Anyway, because he's a Yankee and a lot smarter than us Southerners (yuk yuk) he only needs about 10 minutes to find Kim (Mee-chelle) in a club on the wrong side of the river in Algiers, a town highly reminiscent of Hell if you've ever been down there too. Now here's the good part.....Kim Basinger on the dance floor grooving to some kind of hybrid Cajun island funk, and I mean she is throwing down! Hair, boobs, lips...your basic winner of the Nordic Combined. And then she goes in the ladies room and DOUSES HERSELF WITH WATER TO COOL DOWN! Hey, somebody DOUSE ME TOO! OK, have you hit the "Add to Cart" button yet?
The rest of the movie is pretty silly but as romantic thrillers go, Gere and Basinger set the bar pretty high. They have terrific chemistry and that alone will keep you interested until the final showdown between Jillette and Losado to decide who gets title to the beautimous Mee-chelle.
The DVD has both Widescreen and Standard with 2 channel Dolby. No other extras but the transfer is actually pretty good. A Top 10 datenight movie. 4 Po-boys