I'm sure most people working in a busy office environment have, at some point, had that waking dream where they go postal, slaughtering their colleagues in an orgy of uncontrolled violence (or is it just me?). In Mayhem, an entire workforce flips out thanks to the ID-7 virus, which removes inhibitions, allowing basic instincts to rise to the surface. Quarantined in his office building for eight hours while an antidote takes effect, recently fired attorney Derek Cho (Yeun) uses the opportunity to even the score with the company's bosses, knowing that he won't be held accountable for his actions. Together with a disgruntled client, Melanie Cross (Samara Weaving), Derek tries to get to the uppermost floor (where his 'superiors' work) maiming or killing anyone who gets in his way.
When a film is titled Mayhem, I expect just that: absolute chaos, with the sex and violence pushed to the limit. Director Joe Lynch's film has its moments, but for the most part I couldn't help but feel that it pulled its punches, never quite achieving the level of outrageousness that such a wild concept requires. There is plenty of 'stylish' violence, but it isn't all that graphic, while the sex scene between Derek and Melanie is completely devoid of nudity (clothes-on movie sex is so lame). Also, Derek and Melanie seem to be in complete control of their faculties when it suits the plot, which further undermines the basic premise.
With an excess of graphic gore and gratuitous nudity, this mix of The Belko Experiment, 28 Days Later, and The Raid could have been a classic; as it stands, it's not as good as any of those films. Oh, and Samara Weaving's scream is just bizarre.
