MAYHEM! (2023)

 

Directed & Story By: Xavier Gens

Written By: Magali Rossetto, Guillaume LeMans, Stephane Cabel

Cinematography: Gilles Porte 

Editor: Riwanon Le Baker 

Cast: Nassim Lyes, Loryn Nounay, Olivier Gourmet, Chananticha Chaipa, Vijay’s Pansringorm, Yothin Udomsanti 

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.

When it comes to this film, you have to look at it sort of the same way. You would look at Director Xavier Gens work over the years. 

He is a talented and serviceable Director but while his films have all had style, most of his films, generally come off as disappointing usually maybe more due to scripting problems or story problems. They look vivid, but they can never keep the audience's interest throughout 

This film seems more inspired by the work of Gareth Evans, writer and director of THE RAID movies.

 

As This film has some truly incredible fights that are bone, breaking, and crushing where you feel the violence in the hits in the action as the camera moves with it, and we see the action and the aftermath. 

These scenes do come often more in the second half of the film isn’t as balls to the wall as advertised. As with everything you need a lead-up for there to be that action, and here it’s there even though in the lead-up, it’s a little more typical, and ends up becoming more of a revenge story, but a revenge story on both sides in a way.

They also try to set up the main character to be not violent to be violent even though he’s a fighter, he usually avoids any extracurricular violence as in the scene when he’s in the gym in a fight breaks out he stays out of it so more he only fights when he has to, He is forced Which is what set up the second half of the film is that he doesn’t want to, but he has to if he wants to get his revenge.

Most of the story and film are typical, but those are fight scenes. They are what helped raise the film above the material if it had been 90 minutes of just the action sequences with maybe reasoning in between this definitely would’ve been better as directors like Timo Tjahjanto managed to do that they managed to have spectacular action, but also stay on point with the story so that it is, they are both interesting this is a nice attempt and certainly is not worthy but unfortunately, it’s not successful across-the-board but it is entertaining and worth checking out especially if you are an action movie fan.

Grade: B-