“Monkey Man” Review

Dev Patel takes a bloody path towards revenge in “Monkey Man”, a suspenseful action film that sees Patel as not only the film’s star but as its director and cowriter.

One worry that many viewers expressed when they saw the trailer for “Monkey Man” was that it looked like a rip-off of the “John Wick” series. While there are similarities with the basic premise and the realism of the fight scenes, “Monkey Man” is, pardon the pun, a completely different animal. With a frenetic presence in front of and behind the camera, Dev Patel’s action film is a superb watch that had a long journey to the big screen and it was worth it. 

Years after a corrupt police force destroyed his village and murdered his mother, Kid (Dev Patel) spends his days planning his revenge against Baba (Makarand Deshpande), the religious guru who ordered the attack, and his criminal empire built on extortion, gambling, prostitution and political influence. While washing dishes by day, Kid takes part in boxing matches where he’s paid to lose and gradually builds up his skills as a fighter. With Baba seeking to use his political power to install a candidate who’s loyal to his ideas, Kid sets his bloody revenge into practice in this tight thrillride.

Originally meant to be a Netflix original film, the streaming service wasn’t even sure if they wanted to release “Monkey Man” because of its violence and subtle political commentary about Indian affairs. Enter Jordan Peele, who got Universal Pictures to buy the rights from Netflix and release it in theaters. Thank God for this because the action-packed excitement of “Monkey Man” is worth the price of admission. 

Dev Patel has certainly been a prominent name with acclaimed performances in “Slumdog Millionaire”, “Lion” and “The Green Knight” but he has now turned his sights behind the camera by cowriting, producing and directing the film as well as starring in it. Like his performance, Patel is delightfully intense and you can tell that he brought all of his energy to “Monkey Man”. Despite so many factors working against him, including breaking his hand during the first action scene they shot, Patel has pulled off something special. 

While not much is known about Kid aside from the tragic backstory, Patel plays this guy with the mysterious energy you want. He doesn’t say much but you know that all he’s thinking about is “how do I kill these men to avenge my mother and stop their terror?” His character is compelling and does stand apart from someone like John Wick for a very clear reason. Unlike “Baba Yaga”, who spent years as an assassin and immediately returns to peak physical prowess when provoked, Kid starts off as a terrible fighter. He gets paid to be brutally beaten so it makes sense that he would not be that adept at hand-to-hand combat, especially when dealing with mercenaries. What kills he does get in the film’s early action sequences are lucky breaks. However, this means that his character is given room to grow and, by the film’s end, he becomes a credible badass and his final spree is incredibly cathartic when you know all of the work he’s put into it and the vengeance he’s achieving. 

Now, I’m normally not one for revenge for obvious reasons. However, when it’s the premise of an action film that promises me cool fight sequences, bring on the blood. With cinematographer Sharone Meir behind the camera, these fights utilize shaky-camera to bring realism to the conflict. I normally don’t get into shaky-cam action sequences because I prefer sweeping shots that really show off the fights and let you admire the stuntwork. However, “Monkey Man” knows how to use shaky-cam to its benefit by looking realistic while also making sure that the audience knows what’s going on. I never felt lost during these fights, only a massive adrenaline rush. Plus, towards the end of the film, there are sequences that were either shot in one take or are edited to look that way that gave me more of the camerawork I love in action films while staying true to its style. 

These fights are so well constructed and the editing by Dávid Janscó and Tim Murrell is phenomenal. There’s so much energy leaping off the screen that when the fight does end and the film holds on to a shot for a while, you realize that you need to breathe. From the impressive work by the stunt performers to the use of light and color, “Monkey Man” puts everything into its visual storytelling. But the story isn’t just compelling because of a simple revenge narrative. It also contains subtle commentary on India’s caste systems, society’s treatment of minorities (including religious minorities and transgender people) and government corruption. While none of these topics are deeply explored with rich monologues, the film doesn’t need to do that. Having this one man take down a criminal empire is enough but these social issues do add to the meaning of his actions.

What sets “Monkey Man” apart from other action films aside from its direction is the culture it’s rooted in. This city does become a character and, like “John Wick” and “Old Boy”, there is a desire to learn more about this world and how it works because it’s morbidly fascinating. Even if you don’t know anything about Indian society, the film does a good job explaining how it all comes together and how Kid must purge the corruption that Baba has infected it with. 

While the film is mainly a non-stop film with lots of action and plenty of drama, it does cool down for a while in the second act when the hero must inevitably take stock in himself before facing his enemy for the final confrontation. However, I do think this second act goes on for too long and could have been tightened up. But when the third act arrives, it grabs you by the throat and does not let go until the credits roll.

If “Monkey Man” is just the debut of Dev Patel as a filmmaker, I can’t wait to see what his sophomore film has to offer. His first film was nothing short of entertaining and it has certainly got me in the right state for the plethora of action films and blockbusters that will come my way this summer.