I find myself wondering where to start when it comes to talking about the crazy, demented joys of Mayhem. It's a movie that I think anyone who has had to deal with office politics would find a great deal of cathartic glee with. It plays like Office Space gone insane with far more homicide. The film plays out with a wicked sense of humor and style to spare, it's the perfect movie to watch after a really bad day at the office.
Derek Cho (played by Steven Yeun) may have started off working for Towers and Smythe consulting as a fresh-faced and optimistic new attorney, but it wasn't long before he was worn down by the corporate machine, losing his moral compass as he climbed the corporate ladder. One morning, he discovers that one of the higher ups, Kara Powell (played by Caroline Chikezie) is setting him up to take the fall for a bungled case for one of their biggest clients even though he had nothing to do with it. When he confronts her, they take the issue to the CEO, John Towers (played by Steven Brand) who orders Derek be fired. As he is about to be escorted out of the building by the head of HR Lester McGill (played by Dallas Roberts) and security, the entire building is surrounded by a SWAT team as the building is put into quarantine. Censors in the building ventilation system picked up the presence of the ID-7 virus. This nasty bug causes anyone infected to lose any inhibitions and act on their darkest impulses. A neutralizing agent was released into the building to treat the rampant infection and should take full effect in the next 8 hours. Until then, everyone has to remain in the building. Knowing that in the past those effected by the virus have not been held legally responsible for their actions, Derek sees an opportunity to get even. Sensing that may be the case, Towers has Derek locked in the basement of the building. There, he encounters Melanie Cross (played by Samara Weaving) who was in the building trying desperately to get the impending foreclosure of her home overturned only to be coldly turned down. Realizing they both have a common goal in righting the wrongs done against them, the two raid a maintenance locker for tools that can be used as weapons and prepare to battle their way to the board of directors and Towers on the top floor of the building to get even with Towers and hopefully get Melanie an extension on her mortgage. It's going to be a hard fought battle though as the entire building has descended into chaos as everyone begins to succumb to the effects of the ID-7 virus.
The film is directed by Joe Lynch from a script from Matias Caruso. The two clearly had a lot of fun crafting this dark satire of office life. Lynch does a fantastic job bringing to life the utter chaos that erupts in the building as everyone gives into their wildest inhibitions. Derek and Melanie may be fighting against the villainous executives and their associates to try and get to the Board on the top floor, but in the background of various shots are all sorts of hilarious antics playing out whether it's other fights, temper tantrums or in one particularly amusing moment someone off camera re-enacting the scene from Half-Baked where Scarface quits. All the little antics in the background are certainly the things that reward repeat viewings of the film since with the initial viewing I was more focused on Derek and Melanie. The outline of the story is also pretty unique as it is almost structured like a video game. Derek and Melanie move from level to level, fighting off one executive or another to get a keycard to get them to the next person who will eventually get them to the penthouse and the Board. All the while, there is a ticking clock of eight hours they have to complete their mission before quarantine ends and the virus runs it's course, therefore becoming culpable for their actions again.
Steven Yeun gives a fantastic performance as Derek, perfectly capturing his character's fresh faced idealism in the opening scenes as well as how quickly he becomes more and more worn down and cynical as the corporate world takes it's toll on him. He also perfectly captures his character's growing derangement as the virus takes hold and he becomes increasingly willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top floor, including any of the sadistic, nasty executives that stand in his way. Samara Weaving likewise does great as Melanie, capturing her character's growing frustration at the company's apathy, her rage only amplified by the virus as she increasingly feels she has nothing to lose any everything to gain as she joins Derek in battle. It's a fantastic and very entertaining performance. Steven Brand makes for a memorable main bad guy as the narcissistic, apathetic, coked up CEO of the company. He really sells how slimy his character is, a trait that comes out more and more as the film goes on and it becomes clear he is willing to do anything to save his own skin, including selling out his associates.
Overall, Mayhem is a wild ride of a movie with thrilling action and a wicked sense of humor. Any time I see a post on Facebook or Twitter asking for recommendations what to watch on Shudder (sort of like Netflix for horror movies), my first recommendation is always Mayhem. It's just an absolute blast from beginning to end and one I have always enjoyed every time I've watched it.
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