Mayhem

Starring: Steven Yeun, Samara Weaving, Steven Brand, Caroline Chikezie, Kerry Fox, Dallas Roberts, Mark Frost
Directed by: Joe Lynch
Rating: Unrated
Genre: Action, Horror
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A virus that causes people to act out their wildest impulses infects an office where a worker (Steven Yeun) was recently fired.

Review:

Tim: Mayhem is actually the second "extreme workplace violence" movie of 2017, after The Belko Experiment. I'm not sure if this is a budding trend to reflect our state of mind about work, but it doesn't help this movie to be second. It feels like we've already seen this story and it was done better the first time. Now, that doesn't mean this isn't a decent movie- it is. It's different enough to not feel wholly redundant, but it's not as original as it probably expected to be.

Both films offer an excuse for the extreme violence- in Belko, employees were forced to kill each other if they themselves wanted to live. In Mayhem, there's a virus that forces people to act out whatever impulses or desires are beneath the surface. I have to say I had a harder time buying this premise than in the other film. This one certainly spends some time up front setting up the premise, but it still felt flimsy. It felt like a convenient plot device, which is what it is. It's okay, and we can go along with it, but it immediately sets the film on shaky ground. The story spends a lot of time establishing how evil the corporation is, especially those managers at the top. This was fine, again, but it was a little on-the-nose. Big corporations are evil, upper managers are all crooks, we've seen this before. It's done so that we can sit back and gleefully watch as corporations fall and managers are brutally killed. The set up is done so that we can be happy at the violence. It's manipulative, though, and it prevents this movie from being really good. It's too one-sided and obvious.

The violence itself is pretty good, though. That's why most people will sit down to watch this movie. The film tackles these scenes with amped up energy and joy at bad people getting their comeuppance. It's hard to get sucked into this a little bit. The movie often feels too cartoonish as it slips into comedy, but it does create some fun.

Steven Yeun is decent in the lead role. I'm a fan of him from "The Walking Dead". He might not be great, but he works decently well in the lead role. Samara Weaving felt very bland to me. I didn't care for her performance much- it's too forgettable. I really don't know why she was cast, because there's dozens of people who could have given a better performance. Caroline Chikezie works hard to make you dislike her, but her performance was missing any subtlety. Dallas Roberts was actually really good (another "Walking Dead" alumnus). He was a standout from the supporting cast, which was needed, as most of the cast are pretty lackluster.

Mayhem is fine. It's a little movie that most people will never see. It's kind of fun, but it's a lightweight, forgettable film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Belko Experiment