Dev Patel (The Green Knight) makes his directorial debut with the action-packed revenge thriller Monkey Man. Originally intended for Netflix this block-rocking bloodbath is finally making its way to the big screen after a tumultuous production that also brought in Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions (no introduction needed), as well as Thunder Road Films, known in large part for their work with the John Wick and Sicario films. And in keeping with the spirit of the films that came before it, and the chaotic nature of its development, Monkey Man is a bare-knuckle brawl of a story built on a foundation of blood, sweat, and tears.
Dev Patel plays our nameless lead, credited as Kid, who has been scratching and scrapping his way through poverty in hopes of one day taking revenge on the people responsible for murder of his mother and the destruction of their entire village. His story is a mystery to us, but his pain is immediately felt. Kid fights in an underground boxing ring, donning a monkey mask that helps to hide his identity, but also carries an incredible weight for him personally. He’s in a real dark place when we first meet him, but his torturous work is about to pay off now that he’s finally only a few small steps away from putting a bullet in the man that ruined his life.
“A crowd-pleasing, hyper-violent tale of revenge and corruption.”
Of course, revenge is never smooth and simple, and after a series of blood-soaked brawls with India’s corrupt police force, Kid is forced into hiding to recuperate, and to train, and to find himself. Luckily, who he really is inside, is a weapon of mass destruction! It’s an action-movie movie template that you’ve no doubt recognized across all your favorites of the genre. Patel is clearly pulling inspiration from a handful of recognizable action flicks, but Monkey Man strives to build something entirely its own.
The tropes it can’t avoid are the currency of the action-crime subgenre, but Monkey Man doubles down on those tropes and goes all-in when it comes to delivering a crowd-pleasing, hyper-violent tale of revenge and corruption. Patel’s presence on screen would be enough of an achievement if he wasn’t also the director, co-writer, and co-producer. As Kid, he’s lean, mean, ass-kicking machine, but his performance is also peppered with raw emotional turmoil.
As a director Patel is equally impressive, always looking for unique angels to explore how Kid’s journey is captured. From packed rooming houses where people sleep on floor, across town to a temple where side-lined devotees of an unpopular god are forced into hiding, and up to the penthouse apartments that overlook the entire city- we explore a larger system designed to chew up and spit out people like Kid. It’s as much a story of revenge as it is about systemic corruption and balancing the scales of a society that has manipulated its own people in bad faith.
Sharone Meir’s cinematography is equally the star of this epic tale of destruction, capturing every hundred-ton punch and every gnarly knife wound with high-octane precision. Fist-person fight sequences, silhouette showdowns, hallucinatory trips through the doors of perception- it’s a wild ride.
Patel has come out swinging with his directorial debut, delivering something fresh to chum the shark-infested waters of the modern action movie landscape. Monkey Man hasn’t broken the mold of what action movies can accomplish but with crazy choreographed fight sequences, a killer soundtrack, and a whole host of kooky characters, It’s one hell of an action-packed shoot-em-up.
“…a bare-knuckle brawl of a story built on a foundation of blood, sweat, and tears.”
Dev Patel’s Monkey Man is in theatres now! Check out this action-packed revenge thriller and share your thoughts with us in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord! We’re also on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and TikTok if that’s more your speed 😉
