Oscar® nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
What We Thought:
After watching Monkey Man I walked out of the theater with the same response I had for Drive, The Raid: Redemption and John Wick, this is a game changing flick. Dev Patel’s directorial debut will have people talking for all the right reasons. It’s beautiful to look at. It’s super violent and has a fantastic score/soundtrack. I’m down for whatever Patel does next.
That being said, the film isn’t quite what I was expecting, but I’m ok with that. It has a lot more backstory and exposition in it than I thought it would have. Having seen the trailer I expected a non-stop action flick. Don’t get me wrong, it has a ton of violence, but it also explains Patel’s character’s desire for revenge. It gets into his religious and cultural background as well and that makes me wonder how the film will play to an American audience. Will Americans sit through a film set in India about its geopolitics and religious heritage? I didn’t mind it and you completely understand why he’s doing what he’s doing because of it.
I’m also shocked that this film is Patel’s directorial debut. It’s gorgeous with its use of color and cinematography. There are scenes that reminded me of John Wick 4 which is a great thing. The fight choreography is stellar and the use of music, especially American music, adds to the film. If this is what Patel is capable of straight out the gate, he’s going to have some killer future films. Studios should be on the phone with him pronto.
But I watched the movie for the violence and man is it up there with previously mentioned flicks. From the fighting in the ring, the knife work and hand-to-hand combat, Patel turned himself into an action star. There’s a training sequence set to fantastic percussion that reminded me of training montages from 1980s and 1990s action flicks like Bloodsport. The third act onslaught is glorious and everything about it feels authentic and realistic. Again, how is this Patel’s directorial debut?
Unless 2024 has some surprising films not on my radar, Monkey Man will make my top 10 for the year. I know it’s only April, but from so many filmmaking aspects the movie simply works. I watched it last night and I’m ready to see it again. Patel throws his hat into the leading action hero ring (pun intended) and should have his next directing job handed to him on a silver platter. Nothing else to say, but…
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Genre: Action Thriller
Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Makarand Deshpande
Director: Dev Patel
Story by: Dev Patel
Screenplay by: Dev Patel and Paul Angunawela and John Collee
Producers: Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Christine Haebler, Anjay Nagpal
Executive Producers: Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney, Steven Thibault
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