Written by: Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela, John Collee
Starring: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikander Kher, Adithi Kalkunte
Rating: [3.5/5]
Seeking revenge comes as nothing new in the action genre, as it serves as a great motivator for a lead character to go on a killing spree. An opportunity to reach a well-protected villain with plenty of henchmen prepared to die for the cause. While Monkey Man does not bring anything revolutionary narratively, it sure does pack in several high-octane and well-choreographed action sequences well worth the price of admission.
After having his mother killed by militia led by a corrupt police chief, Kid (Dev Patel), years later, arrives in town to enact his revenge. He begins by starting at the very bottom to infiltrate this organization to get to the man pulling all of the strings, but faces complications in seeing how deep this corruption runs.
Growing out hair on his head and face has never done wonders like it has Dev Patel, to the point where many argue he should be the next James Bond. If anything, the guy has formally put his name in the ring of contention with Monkey Man not only in the way he presents himself as a character, but also in the way he directs the hell out of these action sequences. Patel has been slowly vying into this territory with 2019’s The Wedding Guest displaying some interest on the actor’s part to take on these types of stoic and action-heavy roles and he completely ups the ante in what he creates here with its visual composition.
Narratively, this feature does not do anything new within the genre, but Patel’s story takes place in India, which the majority of Western audiences do not have as much exposure with action films. This adds a texture to the story with the cultural differences, especially when referring to the figure the title refers to. Villains operating the way they do means something different outside of Western context, even if the same universal and visceral loss creates the motivation behind our lead character. Setting it in India also brings a distinct style that allows it to stand out and Patel ensures to imbue it into the narrative for all to enjoy, which I can certainly attest to.
Other than witnessing his mother’s death and the pain he had endured by the hands of those who now seeks to hunt, Kid remains a fairly anonymous character. Given we know him as “Kid” and not his God-given name says plenty about the purpose he serves in this story. Almost inhuman in his approach as he seeks to kill anyone in his way to get this revenge. He even dons a mask when participating in these underground fistfights to avoid any real identity and this allows him to start at the bottom and reach the place where he can achieve his vengeance. Therefore, we have a fairly bland character with a standard story, but the action more than makes up for it all.
Monkey Man presents its action in bone-crunching style. Nothing about the fight choreography seeks to be elegant but rather ensuring that each blow gets deeply felt by both our protagonist and the enemies he takes on. We have various locations employed and their environments get utilized to their fullest. One particular action sequence within a restaurant kitchen displays the very best this feature has to offer as Kid uses anything he can as a weapon against his adversaries almost to a comedic degree. For a story that could stew in its seriousness, this feature does have some fun comedic bits mixed with the action further exemplifying for as good as Kid may be in hand-to-hand combat, he’s no perfect assassin. It further grounds this character and is incredibly fallible, which does not always happen with action stars.
With John Wick setting the standard for action films heavily leaning on hand-to-hand combat, Monkey Man serves as more than a worthy addition to this genre. It demonstrates that Dev Patel has the goods in front of the camera as he has repeatedly proven throughout the career but the man has a strong directorial eye in imbuing an electric style to this standard story. Plenty to appreciate across the board and it makes me join the petition that Dev Patel should be the next James Bond.
Films with Josh 
