Written and directed by Xavier Gens, co-written by Magali Rossitto and Guillaume Lemans, a model prisoner’s leave ends in tragedy when his past resurfaces, forcing him to flee. He starts over in Thailand, until a local criminal coerces him back into crime. After this man attacks his family, he vows revenge. Starring: Nassim Lyes, Loryn Nounay, Olivier Gourmet, Chananticha Chaipa, Vithaya Pansringarm, Sahajak Boonthanakit and Yothin Udomsanti.
Revenge thrillers are basically their own world in cinema today, they’ve continued to rampantly grow over the past few decades and that comes with its advantages and disadvantages. The main problem is writing a story that feels fresh, that doesn’t simply follow the rulebook, even if it travels the same road. In that sense, Mayhem! isn’t hugely successful, because you can see where it’s going and it doesn’t have many surprises in store. It can also struggle to flow naturally, having big drastic, action filled moments in between long stretches of simple drama.
Having said that, there are a number of elements from the direction to the violent nature of Mayhem! to balance out those shortcomings. It’s much the same as with horror, you can know exactly where it’s all going but if it’s done well, that can be forgiven. Also, similarly to horror, one of the key strengths to this film is having moments of creative and imaginative violence to give you that classic ‘ooh’ or wincing moment.
So, while it is somewhat limited by the predictability and slightly soap-opera stylings of its writing, the action sequences still bring plenty of enjoyment. They’re well choreographed and edited, they move at a nicely fast pace, feeling as though they’re trying to follow in the footsteps of films like The Raid, because what’s an action thriller without a messy hallway sequence? It does occasionally ask you to let go of believability but that’s no surprise since Xavier Gens is definitely not playing it safe with his big final fight scenes.
However, another aspect it does slightly struggle with is building its leading character. Nassim Lyes’ Sam can feel generic or simple, there’s not much to learn about him. Whereas the performance from Lyes is actually pretty good, he’s got the physicality down to a tee and he does bring through some genuine emotion too. The romance can be a bit forced but there is a good connection between him and Loryn Nounay. The rest of the ensemble tick all the usual criminal underworld type boxes with ease.
Mayhem! doesn’t break new ground but it’s an entertaining crime thriller with some very well put together action sequences. The direction, editing and choreography are what really bring the film together, while the writing can let it down. It’s definitely a must watch for hard-core revenge thriller fans, who will find plenty to like but your average viewer might get stuck on its predictability and the sporadic nature of its story.
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