With six Golden Raspberry nominations for Worst Director, an average of 39% on the Tomatometer across his films, and two titles in the Criterion Collection, it's an understatement to say that Michael Bay is divisive. Love him or hate him, Bay has created a genre all of his own — and it's called "BAYHEM." Many filmmakers have applied the ethos of Bayhem to their work over the years, helping to give the world films like Crank and Den of Thieves.
Dutch angles, endless action, cameras spinning wildly around actors as they stare into the distance, and casting Gerard Butler are all symptoms of Bayhem. Much like French New Wave or German Expressionism, Bayhem isn't good or bad: it is a lens through which artists can express themselves, including how much they love car chases, people being punched a lot, and stuff happening in space.
‘Hardcore Henry’ (2015)
A movie that plays like a video game, Hardcore Henry follows Henry, who is resurrected from the dead as a cyborg and must rescue his wife who has been kidnapped. Filmed in Russia by director Ilya Naishuller, Hardcore Henry is often mentioned in the same breath as films based on video games because, despite not being based on a game, the film is shot entirely in first-person.
With elaborate stunts and set pieces that live up to the movie's title, Hardcore Henry takes a lot of cues from the action genre that are also mainstays of Bayhem. While some of the Bayhem and action film tropes in this film are welcome additions, there are others, like the underdevelopment and sexualization of female characters, that need to be put out to pasture. All that said, Hardcore Henry is no one-trick pony and innovates the genre as much as it is inspired by it.
‘Deepwater Horizon’ (2016)
While the flashier elements tend to get most of the attention, there are also subtle symptoms of Bayhem, like rampant patriotism and a romantic view of the “little guy.” In Bay’s films, these two themes are often deployed in equal measure despite being at odds with one another. The same is true of Deepwater Horizon, Peter Berg’s retelling of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Although the film is an engrossing, detailed, and harrowing retelling of the events that led to the disastrous spill of 2010, it is thematically and morally muddy, like many of Bay’s films are. Deepwater Horizon struggles in its desire to criticize the decisions that led to the spill while also trying to make heroes of the workers involved. That said, Deepwater Horizon remains an edge-of-your-seat disaster film that pulls on the heartstrings and packs in the Bayhem.
‘Den of Thieves’ (2018)
Before Bay scratched his heist itch with Ambulance, Den of Thieves was there to do it for him. Following a classic tale of cops, robbers, and a lot of cash, Den of Thieves unsuccessfully reaches for the heights of Heat. While it doesn't get there, director Christian Gudegast's film is so much better than it has any right to be.
Featuring Gerard Butler, nailing the role of sleazy yet competent cop "Big Nick" O’Brien, Den of Thieves is jam-packed with quirky casting choices (yes, that is 50 Cent as one of the leads), bombastic action set pieces and enough macho men to fill a bank vault.
‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ (2014)
Kingsman: The Secret Service, about a rough around the edges kid who becomes an elite spy, has a style all its own. Although Matthew Vaughan's pacy and polished film is brimming with his own voice and trademarks, the Venn diagram of Bayhem enthusiasts and lovers of Kingsman: The Secret Service is pretty close to being one circle.
Featuring a slew of ambitious action scenes, with near-impossible camera movements and a protagonist from the wrong side of the tracks, Kingsman hits many Bayhem sweet spots while also being stylish and unique enough to stand on its own.
‘Why Don’t You Just Die!’ (2018)
A film that lives up to its title. Why Don’t You Just Die! is a Russian cinematic bloodbath that follows a young man whose girlfriend has asked to assassinate someone… her father. However, this task is not as simple as it initially seems, and as a result, a large portion of the film follows a single bloody brawl taking place in one apartment.
Why Don’t You Just Die! takes the action elements of Bayhem and applies them to violence. Mad dash fight scenes, scrambles for survival, and extremely creative weaponry are all employed in this eccentric and unconventional action gore-fest.
‘Crank’ (2006)
Crank follows hitman Chev Chelios who has been poisoned by the mafia and has to constantly keep his adrenaline levels high to survive and get revenge. Crank is Bayhem, mayhem, and everything in between.
With star Jason Statham performing all of his stunts and directors Neveldine & Taylor working as camera operators and filming on digital (unusual for the time), Crank is no ordinary film. Seedy, grimy, and grainy, Crank will not be to everyone's taste, but for those looking for Bayhem with a side of sleaze, Crank is the way to go.
‘Copshop’ (2021)
A con artist, a cop, and a hitman walk into a small-town police station. What results is the reason phrases like "lightning in a bottle" and "hell yeah" exist. Joe Carnahan's Copshop represents the absolute height of what action films can achieve when they have white-knuckle tension, a killer story, and two of the most charismatic performances of the last few years, with Gerard Butler playing a con artist and Alexis Louder playing a cop.
If there were such a thing as "elevated Bayhem," Copshop would be it. Lovingly indulging in action tropes and explosions that would make Bay himself shed a tear, Copshop is essential viewing for action fans and Bayhem aficionados.
'Moonfall' (2022)
Between Armageddon and the Transformers franchise, Bay ranks high among directors who love silly sci-fi and disaster elements. But no one ranks higher on this list than the legend himself, the director of Moonfall, Roland Emmerich. Independence Day, Godzilla, and 2012 have shaped our modern understanding of what makes a blockbuster sci-fi/disaster film.
While the two directors have indeed spent a fair share of their careers playing in the same sandpit, none of Emmerich's films share more Bay DNA than Moonfall, a film that is literally about the moon falling to Earth. With a plot straight from an SNL skit, a star-studded cast, and a sci-fi twist that no one saw coming, Moonfall is a fine entry into the growing library of Bayhem movies.
'Nobody' (2021)
A mix of Bayhem, John Wick, and Hardcore Henry, Ilya Naishuller's Nobody manages to rise above its inspirations to become much more than the sum of its parts. The film follows an emasculated every-man named Hutch, played by comedy legend Bob Odenkirk, who returns to his former life of violence after his house is robbed.
The Bayhem of Nobody comes from the delightful balance of violence and fun that the film enjoys. Helped along by a great and, at times, funny performance from Odenkirk and a script executed to perfection, Nobody walks a fine line between genres and does so with grace and panache.
'Greenland' (2020)
Action stalwart Gerard Butler stars as an engineer who, along with his family, is selected by the government to receive life-saving emergency shelter from an extinction-level comet heading towards Earth. Despite the typical comet-hitting-planet plot, Greenland is much more than a glossy disaster blockbuster. Sprinkling a touch of drama when they get the free time, films like Armageddon are ultimately action movies first: Greenland is entirely the reverse, choosing to instead invest in the drama of an apocalypse, with the Bayhem as a backdrop.
Focussing on the ugly human side of panic and looming threat, Greenland manages to have its cake and eat it too. Ric Roman Waugh's film gets viewers in the door with explosions and disaster and keeps them hooked with edge-of-your-seat tension and emotional peril.