‘Monkey Man’ – Review
Dev Patel is a performer who is unafraid of risk and whose passion for the cinematic craft has rung through his performances all his life. Now he takes the next step in his career and looks to bring his burning passion for the action genre, martial arts and his Indian heritage to Monkey Man, his all-new directorial debut. And the result is an utterly wild and savage watch that completely sweeps you up in its adrenaline rush!
The Kid (Dev Patel), an anonymous young man, sets on a journey to hunt down a group of corrupt leaders who are responsible for his mother Neela’s death. However, Kid’s journey of exacting revenge soon makes him become the savior of the poor and powerless people, who are tormented by the corrupt leaders.
Dev Patel is a performer who has long enchanted audiences with a myriad of performances like Slumdog Millionaire, Lion, and, more recently, The Green Knight. A lifelong cinema fan, he now brings to life a long-held vision for the action genre in Monkey Man, his debut directorial feature, which he describes as ‘a revenge film about faith’, and the resulting picture will shake cinemas to its core. Monkey Man offers a totally unique perspective on the action genre, and it’s driven by Patel’s desire to take this genre and have it serve narrative and culture. Taking inspiration from the Hindu deity of Hanuman and his greater Indian heritage, Patel produces a film that speaks to all of his interests and passions, and we see a film that is truly representative of its director.
In creating Monkey Man, Patel was very vocal that he wished to put his own stamp on the action genre, and that’s exactly what he does. But this doesn’t just relate to the physical stunt performances, and while he in no way skimps on the bone-breaking and blood spatter, he also sees the action genre as a way to communicate greater ideas of the human experience through the piece. This film explores ideas of pain, loss, grief, honour and faith, and where the action sequences work to serve the narrative. The story and the culture come first for Patel, and his work on Monkey Man is designed to be his statement on his culture delivered through the medium of the action genre. This attention to detail informs a film that is original and organic in its construction, and it’s an utterly refreshing watch. It’s definitely not what I was expecting going into the film.
Along with writing and directing this film, Dev Patel also takes centre screen as The Kid, a nameless and angry young man who is disgusted at the suffering and plight around him and who has a closely held score to settle with the corrupt villains at the film’s heart. As The Kid, Patel’s performance is delivered through pure rage, and he takes an interesting approach to re-assessing the classic arc of the ‘Heroes Journey’ in his conception of the character. Beginning as a brute who is happy to have pain inflicted on him as a rag-tag cage fighter, he soon lets the beast out of the cage and, through a state of divine integration, is able to fuse beast and man as one, and the result has devastating consequences for those who would face him.
While Dev Patel might be the driving force behind Monkey Man, he also gains a tremendous level of support from a terrific supporting cast. Pitobash brings the good times and hilarity as Alphonso, The Kid’s hook-up in the underworld of Mumbai, and who gets drawn into his vigilante activities. Bringing a foreboding force to the film is Sikandar Kher as Rana Khan, a brutal and corrupt police chief and the focus of the Kid’s rage, along with his employer, the sanctimonious yet sociopathic Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande), and when Kher and Patel go at it, it turns bloody quickly. Finally bringing Monkey Man together in an absolute scene-stealing turn, which he is known to do, is Sharlto Copley as Tiger, the proprietor of an underground fight club where The Kid plys his craft, and he gives a sly, loud and rowdy performance that adds a good dose of levity into the picture.
Monkey Man delivers a cinematic experience that is dynamic, atmospheric and intense. Shot with a kinetic, hand-held, fast-moving pace from cinematographer Sharone Meir, the impressive and lively production shines on screen. Patel’s Indian heritage and culture are on full display within this production, and Patel and Meir bring a noir-focused direction to the camera work and lighting, which is infused with a lush palette of bright reds, oranges and yellows. With its pivotal moments set during the festival of Diwali, the setting further helps to explore this central theme of ‘light battling the darkness’, and it all washes over you in a visceral, in-your-face experience.
But if there’s one word fitting to Monkey Man, it’s ACTION. And it’s on show in full force, with The Kid leaving a bloody, bruised and broken pile of bad guys in his path. The fight scenes of Monkey Man are a carnage-inducing experience, and Patel lets his fists of fury fly as he commits to going full beast mode, which results in an untamed level of destruction, whether with his fists, a blade or a gun, Patel goes to town as The Kid, and he puts his audience right into the heart of the action. Bones are broken, blood is spilt, and a wake of destruction is left in his path as the Monkey goes Ape! Stand-out moments for me were definitely the ‘Pimp Fight’, and the film’s ‘Elevator Knife’ fight, and the whole experience will leave you flush with sweat after your adrenal gland has kicked in.
Monkey Man is a career-best moment from Dev Patel and a cinematic experience that grabs its audience and won’t let up for a second. It’s feral and ferocious in equal measure, but there’s also a real humanity to its narrative, and it is an example of a Hero’s Journey made complete. Viewing it on the big screen is utterly essential, and you’ll have the time of your life with this nonstop action rush.
Image: Universal Pictures
