A film with an exclamation point in its title guarantees excitement, right? 'Mayhem!', the year's inaugural action blockbuster, promises a roller-coaster ride of thrills when you purchase your ticket. However, a question mark would have been more appropriate.
To say that the film fails to live up to its fervent title, especially in its monumental first half, would be an understatement. Director Xavier Gens starts the film with a bang that rivaled the much acclaimed 'The Raid' for non-stop action only to lose steam in a drawn-out set up that seems to drag indefinitely.
It is when the action starts to heat again that we witness few awe-inspiring sequences, including a hallway brawl vaguely reminiscent of 'Oldboy' and a jaw-dropping battle of knives and guns within the confines of an elevator. Yet, these sporadic moments of intense physical power are too few and far between to make up for the film's numerous dull periods or its rudimentary vengeance plot that never adds depth or dimension. Maybe '…Mayhem' would've been a more accurate title.
The film introduces us to Sam, played by Nassim Lyes. We meet him for the first time in a harsh prison gym during a massive fight. Sam maintains a distance from the brawl, winning praise for his discretion. Director Gens aims to portray Sam as a man who can knock you out with a punch, but who understands the real consequences of violence. Anyhow, after his release, when he accidentally kills a hoodlum in self-defense and gets chased by ruthless villains, he escapes to Thailand and starts a fresh life with Mia (Loryn Nounay).
Fast forward a few years, a plan by Sam and Mia to acquire a waterfront property falls through due to corrupt criminal Narong (Olivier Gourmet). The ruthless criminal will stop at nothing to get the land, and that includes wiping out Sam's wife and daughter. Sam survives, and here, we see 'Mayhem!' switch gears, turning into a revenge thriller with Sam taking on those who ruined his existence. We get here after almost 45 of introductory minutes, a duration that is insanely long given anyone can predict the film's progression from nearly its beginning. The drawn-out beginning fits in a horror flick, but it doesn't sit well in the action genre.
Despite the unevenness, once 'Mayhem!' gets into its grit of punching, kicking, shooting and stabbing, it is hard to ignore Gens' deft handling of such scenes. A spectacle in a mansion hallway and a nerve-wracking elevator fight scene display Lyes's potential as an action hero despite his deficiency in dramatic scenes.
However, there's a sense of inconsistency from director Gens and his team about the narrative they want to unfold. The film vacillates between a hard-boiled thriller based on child trafficking and gang violence to an unreal tale of an invincible hero. Embedding real-world problems such as sex trafficking only assails a film that is ostensibly an escapist medium. As we've learned from 'John Wick,' simplicity does pay off, and 'MAYHEM!' unfortunately dilutes its effective parts with occasional exploitation and superficial character portrayals. In retrospect, the movie could've been named 'John Wick!' without any objections. Hopefully, Gens and his team take note.
