Monkey Man (2024) Universal/Action-Thriller RT: 121 minutes Rated R (strong bloody violence throughout, rape, language throughout, sexual content/nudity, drug use) Director: Dev Patel Screenplay: Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela and John Collee Music: Jed Kurzel Cinematography: Sharone Meir Release date: April 5, 2024 (US) Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Adithi Kalkunte, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Makarand Deshpande, Jatin Malik, Zakir Hussain.
Rating: ***
Dev Patel has been a busy boy. The Slumdog Millionaire star not only plays the lead in Monkey Man, he also co-writes, produces and directs. He puts a lot of blood, sweat and tears into his directorial debut which nearly got cancelled when COVID hit. It might not have seen the inside of theaters at all if not for co-producer Jordan Peele (Get Out) who brought the Indian actioner to the attention of Universal execs. He made a good call with Monkey Man. It may be a bumpy ride, but it never stops moving forward, sometimes hitting speeds of up to ludicrous.
Patel plays a fellow known only as Kid. He makes a living fighting in illegal boxing matches arranged by sleazy promoter Tiger (Copley, District 9). Wearing a monkey mask, it’s his job to get beaten by bigger, tougher opponents. He gets paid a little extra if he bleeds. Sure, it’s demeaning, but it’s the name of a greater cause- revenge.
As a child, Kid watched helplessly as his mother (Kalkunte) was murdered along with several others when his village was raided and burned down by corrupt police chief Rana Singh (Kher) on the orders of power-hungry spiritual guru Baba Shakti (Deshpande). Prior to the attack, Kid had an idyllic life with his mother who would tell him stories about Hanuman, a simian Hindu deity. After her death, he devoted his life to finding her killers so he can properly avenge her. To that end, Kid gets a job at an exclusive club that caters to the wealthy, powerful and corrupt. Rana is among the clientele. He has a plan of sorts, but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men.
The story is set in the fictional Indian city of Yatana which is obviously a stand-in for the hustling, bustling metropolis of Mumbai. It’s a place where the filthy rich and just plain filthy live side by side albeit not harmoniously. It’s a place run by greedy political leaders who always want more and always at the expense of those without means or power. A palpable sense of energy flows through both the city and the narrative. You can feel it even in scenes without action. This is what sets Monkey Man apart from the average Hollywood action flick. It doesn’t feel manufactured at all. It is its own beast, a fusion of many styles- old school kung fu, Hong Kong action and Bollywood. It incorporates ideas from The Raid and the John Wick flicks into an already wild and crazy narrative. It’s insanely violent and bloody too. People get hurt in this one. I’m talking seriously FUBAR!
For the most part, Monkey Man is really good! It has a couple of well-orchestrated, hyper-kinetic action scenes and a solid leading man in the form of Patel. His ascendancy from ordinary, angry guy to angrier unstoppable killing machine is expertly and believably realized. You can see it in his eyes, the anger and drive and desire for vengeance. He’s going to get what he came for even if it costs him his life.
Like any action movie worth its weight in samosas, Patel the filmmaker includes a training montage under the guidance of a wise older person (Sharma) who teaches Kid about more than fighting. It’s a cliché, but it’s a welcome one as it acknowledges the film’s roots in other action-oriented genres. Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm) stands out as Kid’s reluctant ally Alphonso, a fellow employee at the club who acts like a big shot even though he isn’t. Copley is billed as second lead, but he’s not in it all that much. His character has no real connection to the main plot. Still, he’s completely convincing as a sleaze who only cares about the money.
Patel shows promise as a filmmaker. He still has a few kinks to work out. His attempts to add political and social context to Monkey Man are clumsy and awkward. I’m not saying it doesn’t belong; it’s just not an easy fit.
It wouldn’t be completely inaccurate to describe Monkey Man as an Indian version of John Wick. At the same time, it’s an oversimplification. It’s not just about wild action, it’s also about build-up, everything leading up to the big set-pieces. It’s all rather interesting. And without giving anything away, I could easily see Monkey Man becoming a franchise. Maybe he could go up against John Wick. Now that would be a cool match-up!
