Karthik Subbaraj once again proves he is gutsy and audacious enough to try his hands at a silent film especially to a modern tech-savvy audience who get restless when a scene goes silent. Karthik keeping his trust in the audience has made another experimentation, so has he struck the right chord here?

Just like many thrillers, Mercury too takes its time to introduce its characters and gets into the core story. It has only about six central characters, and all of them have been put to good use. The first half is comparatively slower and gets interesting just after the start of the second half when the story unfolds. Apart from a couple of scenes, you are not offered anything that takes you by surprise. Maybe a few more spine-chilling scenes could have made a difference.

It is not easy to convey things when you are making a silent film and probably that is where Karthik really shows his class, however, we will have to wait and see if a common man would understand everything that the director intends to convey. All the knots and the questions in our mind are untied like a gentle breeze, only at the end, and that's what works for the movie. But there is a chance that some of the audience might end up being confused.

A bit more thought could have made this a suspense classic, but at least it's nearly there. It is thought-provoking but sort of lacks the scare that fans of this genre tend to expect. Maybe Karthik could have orchestrated the tension a bit more with heightened suspense. The climax seems a little hurried.

Prabhu Deva proves his mettle as an actor. He sends chills down our spine with a terrifying makeup and the reason for what he does and why is shown as menacing as such is a suspense that you will have to know watching the film. Deepak Paramesh, Indhuja, Sananth, Shashank Purushotham and Anish Padmanabhan have emoted so well and look very convincing and real enough. Karthik has surely got his casting right.

There are four to five highlight moments that keep us glued to the screen even though you don’t get completely entertained with the proceedings. Prabhu Deva’s villainy act compels us to have some undivided attention on the frames. Santhosh Narayanan’s music elevates the intensity of the scenes put on display. The violins used as part of the BGM, in particular, are beautiful and sounds soothing to the ear.

National-award winning cinematographer Tirru is one of the silent heroes of the film. The shot-divisions, camera movement, and the lighting not only set the mood but also set the scary mood.

Mercury is definitely fictional. One leaving the theatre satisfied or otherwise depends on how well they are able to connect to the movie. The scenes might seem unconvincing but if you could not ponder about it and move on, Mercury might satisfy you. Watch it with patience and an open mind, perhaps it might send you home with a smile.

A daring attempt; watch it with patience and an open mind, Mercury might thrill you