Mayhem

Just saw this at the Fantasia film festival last night and loved every second. A humour-filled, ultra-violent movie which skewers corporate office life -often literally. For anyone who has ever worked in a cubicle or hated their boss. Brilliantly funny and gory in equal amounts. So glad I went!

'Mayhem (2017)' a bit like 'Office Space (1999)' crossed with '28 Days Later... (2002)', seeing a virus that strips away all your inhibitions (which, in practice, just means it makes you want to fight and... well, you know) make its way inside a shady law firm, which sends the place into complete chaos as the CDC lock it down to perform contamination control. When it gets going, it's almost like a video-game; our heroes start in the basement and must make their way up the building to confront the big boss, aiming to obtain certain key cards along the way so that they can make use of the executive elevator. It's a mixture of dark comedy and all-out action, using its pseudo-horror concept as a catalyst for all its eponymous mayhem. It's a bit difficult to divorce the lead characters from their motives because, even though they have both been treated poorly and are infected with the virus, their revenge equates to nothing other than straight-up murder. Unlike in most movies that deal with a similar topic, this behaviour isn't criticised in any way and, without spoiling anything, it doesn't exactly lead to their downfall, which makes for a slightly uncomfortable watch. Basically, the feature clearly isn't interested in its own ethics. In fact, it even goes out of its way to provide a 'get out of jail free' card for its characters, as it's stated that nobody is legally responsible for their actions while under the effects of the virus - even though, much like alcohol, it only makes them do what they otherwise wanted to (hence, murder is still murder). If you get onboard with the picture's own mentality, it is possible to have a bit of brainless fun with it, though. After a rather rough, narration-heavy opening, the affair picks up the pace and is generally enjoyable. Its action is brutal and relatively exciting, with a sense of escalation that ultimately leads to a satisfying conclusion. The actors all do a decent job with the material (although the villain has a hard time keeping his American accent) and the filmmaking is on-point throughout. In the end, this is typically an entertaining action flick. It isn't distinct or, even, well-executed enough to stand out from its peers (and its morals are, shall we say, a bit iffy), but it's a solid effort that successfully straddles a couple of genres. 6/10.

I'm sure most people working in a busy office environment have, at some point, had that waking dream where they go postal, slaughtering their colleagues in an orgy of uncontrolled violence (or is it just me?). In Mayhem, an entire workforce flips out thanks to the ID-7 virus, which removes inhibitions, allowing basic instincts to rise to the surface. Quarantined in his office building for eight hours while an antidote takes effect, recently fired attorney Derek Cho (Yeun) uses the opportunity to even the score with the company's bosses, knowing that he won't be held accountable for his actions. Together with a disgruntled client, Melanie Cross (Samara Weaving), Derek tries to get to the uppermost floor (where his 'superiors' work) maiming or killing anyone who gets in his way.

When a film is titled Mayhem, I expect just that: absolute chaos, with the sex and violence pushed to the limit. Director Joe Lynch's film has its moments, but for the most part I couldn't help but feel that it pulled its punches, never quite achieving the level of outrageousness that such a wild concept requires. There is plenty of 'stylish' violence, but it isn't all that graphic, while the sex scene between Derek and Melanie is completely devoid of nudity (clothes-on movie sex is so lame). Also, Derek and Melanie seem to be in complete control of their faculties when it suits the plot, which further undermines the basic premise.

With an excess of graphic gore and gratuitous nudity, this mix of The Belko Experiment, 28 Days Later, and The Raid could have been a classic; as it stands, it's not as good as any of those films. Oh, and Samara Weaving's scream is just bizarre.

Mayhem is an awesome movie with a fun premise. It's very entertaining and kept making me smile from how crazy it is. Some good dark humor. Likeable lead actor and actress. Good music too.

Samara Weaving is so damn cool, and it's not just because she's stunningly beautiful. (2 viewings, 8/6/2022)

So this is one of those "tries to do lots of genres at once" type movies, and they're usually my favourite. The problem here wasn't so much that it felt particularly uneven or tonally conflicted: it was more just that for all the genres it dipped its toes into, it didn't really satisfy in any of them.

Was there comedy? Kind of, but I barely cracked a smile more than once or twice. Was there action? Kind of, but it wasn't particularly well-choreographed or satisfying or memorable. Was there horror? I mean... not really; I wasn't scared for a second about anything. Was there satire? Yes, but nothing the movie said was particularly exciting or substantive. Was it effective as a thriller? Sort of, in the sense that it was fast-paced and structurally sound.

However, the rest of the writing faltered, as the characters were mostly very simple, the dialogue stilted and predictable, and the resolution a little rushed. Steven Yuen does a very good job however and deserved a much better script to work with. Him, the solid direction, and the fact that the movie is not boring and moves at a good pace are a few of the reasons that keep me from wanting to call this movie "bad."

It was all just a little underwhelming, and I can't see myself remembering much about it at all by this time next week.