Monkey Man

A young man, raised first in the forest then in the slums, makes ends meet by fighting in an underground club where he’s beaten to a pulp, night after night, by the more popular fighters. Why does Kid (Dev Patel) do this? He suffers from the childhood trauma of seeing his mother unjustly murdered before his eyes and has vowed to seek revenge ever since. Using his rage to climb the greasy pole of a sinister society, Kid breaks down the foundations of the corrupt environment he finds himself oppressed by in the hunt for those who murdered his family and ruined his life.

It took years for Patel to get his first feature-length movie off the ground, and it was only when Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw Productions got on board the project that the wheels truly began to be put in motion. Years later, the final product is John Wick meets Fast and Furious in India. It truly is a courageous and audacious effort from Patel on his first outing as a director and an action star, and one that ultimately proves to be incredible in several ways.

At its heart, Monkey Man is a violent revenge story, exploring class division and culture to a degree, but mainly focusing on vengeance with a lot of ass-kicking. Kid roams the streets and corridors expressing his motivations and feelings rarely through words, but actions. As always seems to be the case, the viewer connects with Patel instantly, feeling his pain and suffering as he uses both cunning and brawn to break down the societal barriers he finds in front of him. There are certainly other ways to get therapy for a distressing childhood experience than shooting, choking or making your enemies comatose, but you find yourself cheering for him to do so nonetheless.

The fight choreography from Brahim Chab is action cinema at its zenith. As the drama escalates, so does the gruesome visuals, making you squirm in your seat as the blood streams and teeth start flying. The supporting cast, particularly Sikander Kher as the Rana, Chief of Police, show their stripes in these fight sequences and along with Patel make each scene extraordinary viewing. The combat feels raw, and paired with the cinematography, soaks the audience in the authentic feeling of the slums of Mumbai, with an extra dose of seediness thrown in for good measure. Patel must have had a strong vision for this movie and visually it delivers.

As for the story, the first 30 minutes is a confusing mess and makes for a bouncy ride in the early scenes. All becomes a lot clearer as Monkey Man progresses and there are a number of references to Hinduism that help make the movie a broader and more spiritual experience. There is no time for unwelcome drag in this gut-busting adventure: if this is the first introduction to the directing mind of Dev Patel, we can’t wait to see what comes next.

Guy Lambert

Monkey Man is released nationwide on 5^th April 2024.

Watch the trailer for Monkey Man here: