[Note: This review will discuss elements of Monkey Man that were revealed in promotional material, such as trailers. If you’re someone who enjoys going into recent movies knowing as little as possible, you may want to skip reading this review.]
I went into this film expecting a fun revenge movie—and ended up having an emotionally resonant, thematically deep experience.
Monkey Man is the directorial debut of Dev Patel, who also co-wrote, starred in, and produced the movie. Patel is best known for his roles in the films Slumdog Millionaire, Lion, and Hotel Mumbai. I will admit, as a (relatively) younger moviegoer who regrettably finds himself lost in a sea of familiar franchises and creatives, I had never seen Patel in a proper movie before (Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender doesn’t count). However, I do know of just how talented an actor he is from word of mouth, making this movie an event film in my eyes long before it came to theaters. But what had me most interested was its history: Apparently, it was made for, then shelved by, Netflix, only seeing the light of day because Jordan Peele believed it was an important movie for people to see. Not only was he right, but it makes me livid to think a movie as incredible as this almost wasn’t seen by the wider public.
The action film stars Patel as “the Kid,” an unnamed young man harboring decades of hatred for Rana Signh, a corrupt police officer who murdered his mother. On a quest for vengeance, the Kid works his way into situations where he can get close to Rana, all while maintaining the persona of “Monkey Man,” an underdog figure in an underground boxing club. Throughout the story, there are flashes between the past and present, painting a full picture of what happened to the Kid as a child. There’s also a potent throughline involving commentary on India’s political corruption and class system, themes that coalesce with the main plot of the movie. And, of course, highly impressive action sequences that seemed to get more dazzling with every new battle.
I want to touch on the action first in particular, mainly because of how many reviews have compared the movie favorably to John Wick. While I can understand the comparison given the hulking phenomenon the Keanu Reeves-led franchise has been for action films in the last decade, I feel like such comparisons are disingenuous. Patel himself has cited films like Die Hard or Korean action movies as the biggest inspirations for Monkey Man, and I think this assessment is much more accurate. If anything, the action in the movie reminded me more of The Bourne Identity, Oldboy, and The Raid all rolled into one. While I can understand the Wick comparisons if one doesn’t have as many action films in their watch history, going into this movie expecting “Indian John Wick” will leave you wanting more of the over-the-top action sequences found in those films.
Instead, Monkey Man employs its action in specific points of the film, utilizing a mixture of close-up shots, handheld camera, and fast-paced sequences to deliver hard-hitting fight scenes that all end up being memorable. None of them overstay their welcome either, always being the amount of time they have to be for them to have a core impact on the story. The choreography is also impressive, with some scenes making me wonder how they even managed to shoot them. There is one action scene in particular that was so stunning, it’s now up there as one of my favorites of all time. The only downside in these scenes is the use of shaky cam during a few core action scenes. However, by the end of the movie, I began to wonder if the use of it for the specific scenes it was employed was purposeful. I can’t say without spoiling the plot progression, but something about the way the scenes were shot and why shaky cam was used in some of them felt very intentional and borderline symbolic by the end. It was interesting to observe and something I’d love to know more about.
But the action, surprisingly, was not really the most memorable factor of the film for me. While I went in expecting a high-octane thriller, I instead wound up getting a very meaningful character study and brutally honest political commentary. I’m remiss to spoil the political engagements of the movie, as many of them are important enough that telling you about them here would not do them justice. However, the potency of the politics in the movie can’t be understated. This film takes a humanitarian approach to justice among its violence, revealing through its real-world commentary the complexities of revenge and what drives a man to become, for all intents and purposes, an animal. It resonates with the Kid as a character, intertwining with his development as he tries to claw his way up from his underdog status. The cinematography Patel employs emphasizes the Herculean effort the Kid goes through in order to strike at his targets. The sheer amount that was on his shoulders throughout his scheming made me feel stressed, a major indication of just how well the film’s presentation, themes, and exploration of character meshed with one another.
Speaking of themes, the movie does more than just use action and revenge to invoke commentary on Indian politics and the meaning of justice. There is also a clever use of duality in the movie that emphasizes the Kid’s quest as he continually aims for his target. It’s hard to discuss this part of the film without spoiling the entire thing (including why I believe shaky cam was used purposefully in some scenes and deliberately sidelined in others). Thus, I can only say how powerful and well-executed this part of the movie was. I feel like it’s also a part that is better understood if you have foreknowledge of Indian culture and current political goings-on in the country. However, I did not have that, which only makes me realize how much more I’m going to love this movie when I watch it again, probably later this year.
Monkey Man was an incredible debut for Patel, and a thematically resonant movie with plenty of impressive action sequences that added to its story. I want to make it clear, though, that beyond its political commentary and thematic engagement, Monkey Man had a great story with a standout performance by Patel and every other actor involved. This was an incredible revenge and underdog tale, combining two of my favorite sub-genres of film into a beautifully crafted, oftentimes brutally honest, portrayal of vengeance and justice. Talented doesn’t even begin to describe Patel, and I cannot wait to see where his film career goes from here. I hope the next thing he makes it just as exciting, provocative, and inspiring as Monkey Man. Because this movie was an incredible reflection of a creator making something from the heart. It showed. And I’m genuinely going to be counting the days for when I can own it at home.
I do not feel like my review can do this movie enough justice—not when it does justice so well.
***
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