FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

boydpeters That guy did not deserve to have a film celebrating him and the "challenge" Like the air drama Sully, great story but not enough material for a film but a documentary only.In this case the man was not endearing either. The directors or writers failed here. Not impressed. They ignored the real storyOh, and I like the star, but he was horribly miscast in this film. He is now either too old or terribly over acting to pull off a role like this.

Mark Thomas REVIEW - THE MERCYI will admit this was not the usual film I would watch, but honestly to get away from the Marvel and DC universe I had to try something else, something different, something simpler, so.........Based on a true story Colin Firth is excellent in this story of the first man to circumnavigate the world alone in a sailing boat, or was he? (no spoilers).The exceptional part of this film for me was the story being told at home, the effects the fathers absence had on the family. Many films concentrate on the story arch of the main character and forget the other story which should be told equally but through the eyes of those being effected by the main character, this film does just that.Charming, intelligent British made film which is enjoyable to watch, excellent for a Sunday afternoon or mid-week evening, regardless if you like to sail or not.Set in 1968 - 1969 the stand out moment for me was the speech given by the mother on her doorstep to the assembled press, still relevant today!One issue I have, not with this film but with British firms in general is the very limited showing, films only being shown in certain cinemas for a few days even though being advertised and promoted, why?Making a film is expensive so I personally would have thought the idea of having it shown in all cinemas and for more than just one or two days would be a necessity for the studio to get its money back or even make a profit, but for some reason with British films this doesn't seem the case. 2 other British films that recently also have also fallen into this category, 'Ghost Stories and Cargo', both films I missed while on at a very limited cinema release for less than a week each!Rating 7 out of 10

TheLittleSongbird With such an incredible story that is incredibly emotional and inspiring, a trailer that really grabbed the attention and made me really want to see it and a very good cast (Colin Firth, David Thewlis, Rachel Weisz), 'The Mercy' had a lot in its favour and a lot going for it. So the potential in it being a good film was enormous.On the most part, 'The Mercy' is a good, very good even, film, its best elements brilliant. Mostly it does justice to this astonishing story if not quite fully and does a lot right. It does live up to its trailer and the cast are far from wasted. 'The Mercy' also is not quite perfect and could have been even better than it was. Nothing is done terribly, far from it, there are a few elements though that could have been done stronger.Where 'The Mercy' most excels is the acting and emotional impact. It is a very moving film (there are scenes where a couple of tissues is in order) with a rootable protagonist, presented as compellingly real and not neatly black and white. There are gripping and tense scenes on the sea, it really is an emotional story with a soul, and its restraint rather than going into overblown mode was really appreciated. Found myself inspired by it too.Colin Firth wrenches the gut and brings tears to the eye in a powerful performance. Rachel Weisz's role was a little underwritten, but she is charming and affecting with her most emotive dialogue ringing true. Also found David Thewlis brilliantly cast. 'The Mercy' is exquisitely filmed with the use of locations well done, the sea is like a character of its own, likewise with the boat. The music is haunting and understated and it's all slickly directed and thoughtfully scripted. The film doesn't feel dull generally with a fluidly and fast paced first act with particularly compelling storytelling. However, 'The Mercy' is not without issues. Not everybody is going to take kindly to some of the speculation and not so sensitive assumptions, particularly in the latter stages. The final act is not as strong as the rest of film, it's emotionally captivating but not as tightly paced, as dimensional, as detailed and not all of it felt resolved.Sometimes the non-on the sea scenes could have been more developed and Weisz's character is underwritten and not as well used as she could have been (as said Weisz's performance is great having said that). Overall, good film and nearly great, with a few tweaks it would have been the latter. 7/10 Bethany Cox

brankovranjkovic BBC made film based on fact.Donald Crowhurst, who was married with 4 children, and an amature weekend sailor, attempted a single handed, non-stop, around the world boat race. In my opinion pushing boundaries is admirable ... BUT ...I couldn't help thinking whether a responsible bloke would really abandon their family and attempt such a dangerous lengthy challenge, when there was a 50% chance of survival? Especially when the bloke in question was unprepared, and in a boat that was practically unfinished and untested!It doesn't make any sense!On top of that, Donald was a total cheat, he stopped in Argentina to make some repairs, exaggerated his progress reports and falsified his logs. Suffered hallucinations due to deteriorating mental state and felt guilty for causing the sinking of another competitors (Nigel Tetley's) boat. Eventually could no longer maintain the lies and committed suicide due to the intense scrutiny his logs would have undergone and the overwhelming guilt. The film was well made, but I was completely irritated by Donald's attitude towards his responsibilities, and felt he probably got what he deserved in the end, hence the 5/10 score.