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If nothing else a plucky little competitor that should perform well in limited release, "Mercy Streets" is an American independent brought to market almost a year after its distributor's previous work, "The Blair Witch Project", garnered headlines as a surprise hit at the boxoffice -- and was admired, if nothing else, for its savvy marketing to a core target audience.

"The Omega Code" was another of 1999's most auspicious success stories for Providence Entertainment. And God is the big winner again in "Mercy", a Providence release of a Signal Hill Pictures production directed by Jon Gunn. The picture opened Tuesday in 40 cities and has genuine but unspectacular crossover potential.

Surprisingly well-made but not without fundamental flaws that will present a barrier to mainstream viewers, "Mercy" is a Sidney Lumet-style film noir/melodrama about twin brothers -- one a priest losing his faith faster than a leaky ship, the other a criminal whose had his bad years and now wants to reform. The writing and acting are often subpar, but there's some secular interest in waiting for cameos by pro football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor and Stacy Keach as charismatic men of God and sideline coaches to the main attraction.

Led by Eric Roberts as Rome, the high-stakes con man who hauls in recently freed inmate John (David White) for one more scam involving the exchange of millions in counterfeit money, most of the film's characters have their allegiances to earthly things and rarely place their faith in fellow man. The speedy scenario has John seek out twin brother Jeremiah (White again in a dual role) after the former gets on the wrong side of Rome.

While John stands by and watches as Jeremiah is kidnapped mistakenly by Rome, he's not so detached when his brother's fiancee Sam (Cynthia Watros of the Fox series "Titus") fails to notice the switch. A different sort of con takes shape, with John assuming his brother's identity and setting about to fleece the flock. Not sensitive to Jeremiah's coming confirmation as an ordained minister, Sam was on the brink of dumping him over her career ambitions. John -- apparently just because it's his style -- rekindles her romantic fires with spontaneous little adventures.

Meanwhile, Rome gets wise that Jeremiah is not the one he's after but uses him in the same capacity as John under the threat of exposing his brother to the law. In fruitful couplings of disparate players, John is challenged and motivated to set things right by Jeremiah's comrade of the cloth Tex (Shief Mahmud-Bey), and John's party-girl friend Sunny (Lisa Furst) ends up hostage with Jeremiah, sharing a few deep thoughts.

Filmed in the farm town of Visalia and other Fresno County, Calif., locations, "Mercy" is technically sound, and Roberts and White strive for some semblance of authenticity. But, like many an indie crime movie with or without the spiritual messages, generic conflicts and cliched characters only take you so far -- and then it takes a leap of faith.

MERCY STREETS

Providence Entertainment

Signal Hill Pictures

Director: Jon Gunn

Screenwriters: Jon Gunn, John W. Mann

Producers: Bobby Downes, Kevin Downes, Jon Gunn, Travis Mann, David White, Geoff Ludlow

Executive producers: Marta Wells, Dan Wells, Karen Bowerman, Greg Bowerman

Director of photography: Chris Magee

Production designer: Michael Pearce

Editors: Jeffrey Lee Hollis, Jon Gunn, Brett Winn

Costume designer: Mila Hermanovski

Music: Steffan Fantini

Color/stereo

Cast:

Rome: Eric Roberts

John/Jeremiah: David White

Sam: Cynthia Watros

Tex: Shiek Mahmud-Bey

Dan: Lawrence "LT" Taylor

Tom: Stacey Keach

Sunny: Lisa Furst

TJ: Robert Lasardo

Running time - 108 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13...