Film Review | Monkey Man

Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man, is a brutal, bloody and unrelenting revenge thriller from the streets of India.

The film follows our protagonist, played by Patel and unnamed other than in the film’s title, who takes part in violent and seedy underground fights for cash. He is representative of India’s underclass, with a willingness to take on the most menial jobs to get by.

The plot gradually develops as we learn that our Monkey Man has other motives for what becomes his chosen occupation. His undertaking of a dishwashing job in a high-end establishment is a means to get closer to a corrupt police force and government; people who burned down his childhood village and murdered his mother.

And that’s really all there is to the plot. There are some elements of political commentary woven in, and some mythology surrounding Hanuman, a mystical monkey from which the titular character takes his name. These elements, however, are rather slight and seem to a be a rather futile attempt to give the film some depth.

The real star of the show is its action sequences. These are lengthly, fierce and hard-hitting, with unflinching scenes of barbaric fighting. Patel, clearly an action film aficionado, wears his influences on his sleeve and channels everything from Enter the Dragon to John Wick in his pursuit for visceral, sinewy action glory.

Perhaps Monkey Man’s most glaring flaw is its pretension to be something other than a bolshy, straight-to-the-point revenge thriller. Its political and mystical overtones are thin, and are mere sidelines to the main attraction. Patel, however, has demonstrated his talent behind the camera, and in a new guise as action star. It will be interesting to see where he goes next.

2024, Dev Patel

6.0