Monkey Man is a thrilling and stylistic revenge tale
It’s been sixteen years since audiences were introduced to Dev Patel in the Best Picture Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, and he’s finally getting his due, but not the traditional way. Born in England to Indian parents and ancestry, Patel often plays second string to older (white) actors, until recently when he headlined both Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) and David Lowery’s The Green Knight (2021), the latter proving that maybe the underappreciated actor has more to offer. Taking it upon himself to show audiences his skillful range as an artist, Dev Patel is making his writing and directing debut with Monkey Man, a brutal action flick in purposeful and self-aware John Wick-styled tone and plotting. The film is a triumphant piece of stylistic filmmaking and action choreography, and an extremely promising launch to a thrilling new chapter in Patel’s belatedly blossoming career.
Monkey Man scooped up the Audience Award at last year’s SXSW Film Festival, and not surprisingly, considering the plot is a David vs. Goliath revenge tale, inspired by the Hindi legend of Hanuman. The story follows Kid (Patel), an anonymous man who participates in an underground fight club, run and rigged by Tiger (Sharlto Copley), while also trying to make the necessary connections to enter the world of elite society. His ill intentions toward elite society, specifically towards a ruthless night club/escort service/hotel manager, Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar), a sadistic chief of police, Rana (Sikandar Kher), and a faux-spiritual guru, Baba Shakti (Makrand Deshpande), are born out of revenge for the mass territorial grabs and killings the trio engaged in against poor jungle villages, including his family, when Kid was, well, just a kid.
With director of photography Sharone Meir (Whiplash) at his side, Patel crafts a visually enthralling palette for his brutal revenge tale. Saturated colors, fast-swinging camera movements, and breakneck cuts create a fully sensory world in which the characters function based on their station in life. The film is clearly a sociopolitical commentary on the crooked governmental-influenced wealth disparity in India, prevalent anti-minority sentiments, as well as false religious idolatry, and Patel’s filmmaking team makes this disparity felt as well as seen. It’s not confusing to understand who the good guys and bad guys are. This makes the bone-crunching punches, which are plentiful, very gratifying. When Monkey Man is violent, it is very, very, graphically violent.
Notably, as a debut writer/director, Patel understands the importance of momentary levity amid prolonged amounts of brutality, so he throws in effective comedic beats around the fight sequences. However, he and his editor could’ve been more aggressive regarding Kid’s traumatic flashbacks, which are frustratingly long and constantly resurface throughout the film. These flashbacks lend reasoning to why Kid wears a monkey mask in the fight club, and how his mother’s teachings implored him to take fate into his own hands. Being more economical with these flashbacks would’ve provided a succinct emotional impact and increased the film’s rewatchability, even though they’re all staged and filmed beautifully. That’s a minor quibble in an otherwise impressive debut, which could turn into a franchise, depending on audience reception. Based on my own reaction, and that of the packed theater, I’d say Patel has delivered a winning film and a one-two knockout punch as director and star.
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Monkey Man will be released in theaters on Friday, April 5th.
