With a strong story at its core and the archive footage to back it up, All This Mayhem proves to be not only an engrossing story but an important one as well.
Much like Senna before it, the main subjects of All This Mayhem are known for their sporting achievements, yet their story is not bound by them. Also like Senna, that story is presented in a collage of footage mesmerizingly cut together by editor Chris King.
Yet All This Mayhem is also an immensely important story, a rags-to-riches-to-tragedy tale of professional skateboarders and brothers Tas and Ben Pappas, who rise to the top of their profession was followed by a sharp descent into a hell of drug abuse, domestic violence and (even) murder.
As directed by Eddie Martin (Lionel) an authentically Australian touch is given to this mesmerising story. It’s felt throughout the anti-authoritarian attitude of Tas and Ben, who from young punks at Prahran Skatepark in Melbourne to champions at the X-Games in California (where they trounced skate boarding legend Tony Hawke), did things there way with innovation there calling card, and a middle finger to those who protest.
It’s what followed that cemented the Pappas brothers story in the annals of tragedy, the “mayhem” of the film’s title that refers to what happens when you take two teenagers of little discipline, even less parental guidance, lots of money and the keys to a kingdom of drugs, fame and no one to say “stop!”
Guiding us through it all is Tas Pappas himself, with many hard knocks learned through mistakes of his own and his brothers making. Shot over a four year period, Martin even interviews Tas during his second stint in prison, the once champion of the world now humbled yet ready for the biggest challenge of his life: redemption.
That the majority of this story was captured on camera is an offshoot of skateboarding culture, where pre YouTube kids captured their own exploits in skate parks (and numerous other locales to the shagrin of security guards), for the world to see.
Some 400 hours were given to Martin and King to wade through. The results are a tapestry of visual and emotional power, with Tas providing the voice, King the cutting skill and Martin weaving it all together to create a mesmerising and important look at the seduction of fame, and the toxic touch of drugs where even the brightest of stars can be poisoned. |