Monkey Man review

MONKEY MAN: 

DEV PATEL GOES BLOODY BANANAS IN DIRECTORIAL DEBUT! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Dev Patel in Monkey Man

 

            Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Lion, The Green Knight) sits in the director’s chair while wearing a monkey mask in Monkey Man, an action thriller film starring and directed by Patel in his directorial debut and produced by Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us, Nope) under his Monkeypaw Productions studio (Yes, Monkeypaw produced Monkey Man!). I was onboard for this movie immediately after seeing the trailer which essentially made it look like an Indian John Wick-type action movie with Dev Patel kicking ass in brutal ways. 

            Well, after seeing it I can certainly say Monkey Man has elements of that but there’s a lot more to it than just an over-the-top action flick. This takes a more mythological approach surrounding the Monkey Man character and focuses a lot on sociopolitical commentary as the fuel of its revenge story…and I very much enjoyed this film. 

            I wouldn’t call it the next John Wick or Raid, but I was thoroughly engrossed in the Monkey Man’s journey for vengeance and justice and invested in the character as well as some of the side characters he interacts with. A lot of that is because of Patel’s stellar performance which pretty much carries the entire film, but more on that later. 

            The film follows an unnamed protagonist commonly referred to as Kid (Patel) who ekes out a meager leaving in an underground fight club where he is beaten night after night while wearing a gorilla mask by other popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid finds a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite in a quest for vengeance against the men who took everything from him. 

            The film also stars Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium, Chappie) as Tiger, Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm) as Alphonso, Vipin Sharma (Taare Zameen Par, Gangs of Wasseypur, Kick) as Alpha, Sikander Kher (Game, Players, The Zoya Factor) as Rana Singh, Sobhita Dhulipala (Chef (2017), The Body, Ghost Stories) as Sita, Ashwini Kalsekar (Speed (2007), Simmba, Merry Christmas) in her English-language debut as Queenie Kapoor, and Makarand Deshpande (Jungle, Junglee, Sadak 2) as Baba Shakti. 

            Overall, Monkey Man may not be the action-packed powerhouse the trailer is suggesting, but through strong storytelling, brilliant acting, and fascinating themes and ideas being explored, it makes for an effective and thoroughly entertaining film that blends thought-provoking social commentary with over-the-top fight choreography and an impressive directorial debut from Patel. 

            My knowledge of India’s crime world and how it works is paper thin, but I thought this movie did an exceptional job conveying themes of corrupt law enforcements and criminal organizations that practically run the country that is entertaining but also makes you think about how it’s affecting the real world. You can tell Dev Patel really cared about what he was bringing to the screen especially with all the injuries he faced behind-the-scenes while making it and the work shows. 

            This is an unapologetically brutal assault on the senses and not just in terms of violence but how the film is shot and edited from the gritty production design to the use of shaky-cams during fights, the latter can be seen as either a strength or weakness. The action is very energized and well-choreographed that’s also reminiscent of John Wick or other high-octane modern action films, but it also utilizes a lot of shaky-cams as previously mentioned. 

            I’m not usually one for shaky-cam usage during action scenes because I feel it often distracts from what’s being shown onscreen and can even come off as nauseating if not done correctly (Just look at early-mid 2000s Michael Bay and you’ll know what I mean). The shaky-cam didn’t bother me that much in this because it does help highlight the gritty and grisly tone of the story though I won’t lie and say there weren’t moments where I wished I could see what was happening better. 

            Much like when Keanu Reeves first played John Wick, Dev Patel gives one of his best performances here and often doesn’t require a lot of dialogue to convey what he’s going through. You can just look at his facial expressions and you immediately get an idea of what this character is like and what his deal is. 

            Again, like John Wick I appreciate how Patel gives this badass action vigilante a human and relatable side with him suffering childhood trauma after his mother was killed by a group of corrupt leaders as the driving point for his vengeful manhunt. It may not be nearly as much of a novelty as watching Keanu Reeves get revenge on the people who killed his dog, but there is still an emotional core to the titular character’s motives that make it satisfying when he finally goes through with it. 

            I don’t know what else to say, Monkey Man is a really solid action thriller that suggests a bright directing future for Dev Patel. I can’t promise something along the lines of John Wick, The Raid, or any of the earlier John Woo action films, but if you’re looking for a movie with exciting action with a captivating story and equally compelling protagonist to boot, put your monkey mask on and happy hunting.