REVIEW: ‘Monkey Man’ Demands Your Attention

Dev Patel is a black belt in Taekwondo. That is a fun fact I learned during the first trailer for his directorial debut, Monkey Man. His kick was high, powerful, and clean. In just the trailer, it was clear that Patel understands how to fight beyond choreographed sequences. Then I learned just how much Patel was in love with the action genre, and my excitement grew even more. That reverence for the genre bleeds into every single frame in the best ways, making the movie stand out. Patel has proven time and time again his ability to be a leading man. Now, he shows that he is an action star too.

Monkey Man is written and directed by Dev Patel (with Paul Angunawela and John Collee also writing). Patel stars as the film’s hero, Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club. There, he fights night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, and he loses against more popular fighters. The more blood, the more money he earns. Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, the film also stars Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala, Adithi Kalkunte, Pitobash, and Sikandar Kher.

Taking a job at the Mumbai hotel that serves as a front for the dealings, Kid learns the inner workings of the corrupt leaders and their trafficking of women and drugs. He works his way up the ladder with a vengeance in his heart and meekness in his demeanor. The rage bubbles beneath the surface. Through flashbacks, the audience shows that Kid isn’t only badly beaten physically but emotionally as well. We see his childhood trauma and tragedy. After Hindu Nationalists kill his mother, his village is burned to the ground, and he is alone in the world. With scarred hands, Kid unleashes an explosive campaign of retribution propelled by his pain.

Dev Patel has not only solidified himself as an action star but also as a director. For a first feature, Monkey Man excels in representing its action sequences. Shifting from first to third-person perspective in the fight sequence allows them to get gritty. Additionally, this camera trick is never overused. The set pieces are grand. The lighting effects are vibrant and sexy. And to top it all off, the costuming is sublime. In all of the grandeur and spectacle, Patel is never lost. While the film’s editing could have chosen fewer jump cuts per fight, and the camera could have pulled out farther, every violent action has an emotional impact.

The film’s only fault comes from how it starts to accelerate, comes to a complete stop, and then hits the gas pedal again. A long and slow second act weighs down an otherwise electric film. But it’s also essential to build out the legend of Hanuman and tether Bobby to his past. As the audience sees his past, it grounds him in a place and emotion. In doing so, you understand every choice he has already made and map out the journey to the film’s finale.

Despite its lull in the second act, the viscerally violent thrill that Dev Patel creates in his finale is epic in scale and intimate in story. Monkey Man is a love letter to action cinema with clear callouts to Bruce Lee, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and, of course, Keanu Reeves’ John Wick. From Korea to Indonesia, Patel wears every inspiration on his sleeve in this debut. That said, it also blazes a new trail in the action genre alongside Nikhil Nagesh Bhat‘s KILL. Patel is as unafraid of lodging political critique as he is of pushing the gruesome boundaries of action kills.

While the film’s second act tells more than it shows, everything else about it bathes the audience in a neon spectacle that doesn’t let up. The key to this is the understanding of when to bake physical humor into brutal fights. There is comedy to be found in the high-octane violence that makes the film’s third act one of the strongest of the genre.

Revenge may be one of the highlights of the film, but its presentation of salient political themes also shines, particularly around India’s third gender, hijra, and their treatment by society and those in power. To see trans characters as vital characters with importance to a hero’s development is astounding. Additionally, to see them handled with care and attention, we see their religious importance and their humanity. But Patel goes a step beyond and shows the hijras as heroes, especially in the film’s third act.

As producer, writer, director, and star, Dev Patel propels Monkey Man into action cinema history. He does so with a ferocious voice and a clear vision that pays homage without mimicking the past. Some shots and visuals will remind viewers of action staples like The Man From Nowhere, The Raid, The Protector, and yes, even Mission: Impossible— Fallout. However, the similarities are inspiration and not reflections. It is clear that Patel is a student of action. His reverence of the genre allows him to play with the tropes and settings it’s known for. While Patel doesn’t subvert any of these, he knows how to use them with impact, using Indian mythology, beauty, and politics to paint the film from top to bottom.

Whether breaking bones or screaming in pain, Dev Patel has shown his physicality and depth. Monkey Man demands your attention, and Patel deserves it. Glorious in its violence, loud in its commentary, and unashamed of its love of the action canon, Monkey Man is superb.

Monkey Man was screened as a part of SXSW 2024 and the movie is available now on Peacock.