The Mercy

"A true-life tale of little England eccentricity, the story of Donald Crowhurst is a strange, sorry one. In 1968 Crowhurst, a frustrated businessman, left his family to circumnavigate the globe single-handedly by boat, but he was ill-equipped, over-confident and never to return."

"Directed with even-keeled intelligence by James Marsh, and buoyed by a performance of customary reserve and resolve from Colin Firth, The Mercy tells its story...about as well as it can be told."

"Firth is terrific in an unbelievable-but-true tale that charts a course from the ridiculous to the profound."

"It's no heroic tale; 'The Mercy' is thoughtful, uncomfortable viewing."

"How they got the Donald Crowhurst story wrong is its own minor tragedy."

"Colin Firth is interesting casting as Crowhurst: he is very good at suggesting the man's decency and likability as well as his perfectly genuine courage and ingenuity."

"Crowhurst's story is laid out with wit, dignity and insight. Very recommended."

"It’s Firth’s film, really. He has a feel for quixotic, pained heroes, and Crowhurst is as quixotic as they come."

"This unresolved maritime mystery feels oddly flat and functional, diluting a tragic tale full of unanswered questions into an anodyne middlebrow weepie."

"Despite the hint of a stiff-upper-lip kind of reserve, this is astonishingly brutal. And Firth’s performance makes this dark, dark story land."