Mayhem

2017

Director: Joe Lynch

Starring: Steven Yeun, Samara Weaving, Dallas Roberts, Kerry Fox, Steven Brand

Words: Manon Peyralade

After Derek Cho got unfairly fired from his job in a law firm, a virus that pushes people to act on their most primal impulses breaks out in the building.
Derek and his co-workers are all trapped in quarantine for 8 hours. Derek will have to fight to survive this chaos, and he also has another objective in mind.

What starts as a kind of zombie-survival film quickly turns into a quest for dignity and revenge that hides much deeper and darker meanings.
Who is Derek Cho? A man who is deeply unhappy in his job. Surrounded by sociopathic lawyers in a depressing office, he obsessively holds on to his mug, a gift by his sister, the only thing that keeps him going.
Joined by a woman named Melanie Cross, Derek goes on a quest of finding the “final boss” in the headquarters. To do so, they will have to fight for their lives floor by floor, boss by boss, until finally reaching the head of hierarchy.

The scenario, almost scripted like a video game, shows the contrast between those at the bottom of the social ladder, and those at the top. The headquarters of the law firm is accurately depicted as rich people making poor people poorer in order to get richer, while getting high on expensive cocaine.
The microcosm depicted in the film undeniably paints an allegorical representation of our current society, and the virus present in the film can easily be replaced by money, notoriety, drugs, or anything that drives people to insanity.
The script is efficient when introducing characters, especially Derek, giving more and more information throughout the film, but never too much. The clever characterisation allows us to get to know the protagonist, enough to be able to relate to him, but never drowns us in too many useless facts. There is a balance of pure action and in-depth portrayal of our protagonist, which absolutely serves the final fight and ultimate goal.

As a modern metal Robin Hood, Derek Cho will fight to give people what they really deserve.
Mayhem is no doubt a must-see of this year’s new horror.