SPOILER WARNING: The following article gives away major details from the plot of Monkey Man, so proceed with caution as you read on.
When Dev Patel landed his breakthrough role as the lead in the Best Picture Oscar winner, 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, the world foresaw many great things in the young, British actor’s future… but becoming an action movie star was probably not quite one of them. However, not only has he achieved that long-desired goal, but has also reinvented himself as an action movie filmmaker with the release of his feature-length directorial debut, Monkey Man, which is easily one of my favorite movies of 2024 so far.
It also appears that critics are praising Monkey Man — which also had a pretty impressive first weekend at the box office — for what has proven to be a strong first try from behind the camera for the Academy Award nominee, who shows some amazing promise as a filmmaker for the visceral style and unbridled passion loaded in each and every frame from start to finish. That being said, I am delighted Jordan Peele and Universal stepped in to bring the film to the big screen instead of its initial plan to be released direct-to-streaming on Netflix. It probably goes without saying that I am already feverishly looking forward to seeing what Patel bring us next in this new era of his career but, first, I would like to explain what I believe makes his debut such a winning cinematic experience.
Dev Patel Brings A Refreshing Spin To The Revenge Genre
Something I noticed a while back and have since accepted over time is that, when it comes to even the best revenge movies, it is usually pretty easy to guess what you are in for — narratively speaking, that is. Whether you are revisiting Quentin Tarantino’s two-part saga, Kill Bill, watching the John Wick movies, looking back at 1994’s The Crow — which has a reboot on the way — or other classics, it is clear that the protagonist’s main goal is to take out their enemy, often by lethal means. However, the main thing that differentiates each of these films from one another is the way in which the story is executed, and I believe Dev Patel delivers one of the most unique examples in years with Monkey Man.
Of course, as per tradition, the main plot (also crafted by Patel) is relatively simple, following a loner known as “Kid” (Patel) plotting to find and punish the corrupt police chief (played by Sikandar Kher) who murdered his mother, Neela (Adithi Kalkunte), and when he was a child. However, the story is infused with a refreshing emotional pathos that strongly reinforces the idea that our hero deserves his revenge no matter how bloody it gets (more in that later), both in the shocking brutality of the inciting incident (Kid watches his mother get burned alive) and his powerfully written arc from helplessly succumbing to his pain to boldly channeling it into his actions. Yet, it also goes further than that.
Perhaps the most appealing draw of Monkey Man is the culturally relevant perspective that Patel brings to the story, which is set in India and seeks to comment on real socioeconomic issues the country (as well as other countries) face today — such as poverty, political corruption, religious unrest, and plenty more topics the filmmaker mentions when speaking to BBC.
Furthermore, even the film’s title and certain thematic elements are drawn from a real Hindu legend known as the Hanuman, whose primate-like appearance and notoriety as a protective deity are acknowledged in the opening scene to symbolically set up Kid’s arc. Patel also pointed out on The Tonight Show how the film redefines the obligatory action movie training sequence in a unique way that honors Indian culture with Kid punching the rice out of a dusty rice bag as a nearby tabla player (Zakir Hussain) keeps rhythm.
Monkey Man Almost Gives John Wick A Run For His Money
When the trailer for Monkey Man first dropped, showing Patel’s Kid laying waste of countless henchpeople while dressed in a black suit, I couldn’t help but think one thing: This guys wants to be John Wick. Indeed, the film does acknowledge the influence that the Keanu Reeves-led action franchise (arguably the best cinema has ever offered) has over the story and its style in a scene when Kid visits a firearms dealer who offers him a type of pistol used in the first movie. However, make no mistake — this is no rip-off.
In fact, there were moments in Monkey Man that I found to be even more exhilarating than some of best sequences from the John Wick movies, which are praised for their beautiful, almost balletic fight choreography. However, Patel — who is actually trained in Taekwondo, according to Den of Geek — goes for a fight style that feels even more off-the-cuff and ceaselessly brutal, accompanied by cinematography that, despite some over-reliance on “shaky cam,” enhances the graphic nature of the violence in a deliriously immersive manner.
However, what really makes the beautifully raw choreography so effective is that, unlike John Wick, Kid does not start off as a badass. Our first sight of the character in his signature monkey mask comes early on when he moonlights at an underground MMA fighting club run by Tiger (Patel’s Chappie co-star, Sharlto Copley) as a journeyman — or, in other words, is paid to have the living crap beat out of him. After he is taken in by a local temple of Ardhanarishvara following a brush with death, its leader, Alpha (Vipin Sharma) advises him to fight with purpose, giving him the will and courage to complete his goal and avenge his mother with a brash boldness in his every move.
What I Would Like To See Dev Patel Tackle Next
With Monkey Man, Patel has proven that he has what it takes to join the ranks of action movie maestros like Chad Stahelski, John Woo, Kathryn Bigelow, and other legends of the genre, and on his very first try at feature-length filmmaking, too. Thus, I cannot wait to see what high-paced, ultra-violent thriller he might bring us next.
However, in all honesty, I really do not care much what he tries to do next. Whether it is, indeed, another action piece, or a new horror movie, or perhaps even a musical comedy, I am so impressed with the thematic eloquence and visually entrancing style of his debut that I’m fully on board for wherever his directorial career takes him.
It is always exciting to see a filmmaker put out a really good movie on their first try and Monkey Man is absolutely no exception. Just like his character in the film, Dev Patel has come a long way from his humble beginnings on the Skins cast and become an inspiration to his culture and to a new generation aspiring artists from all walks of life.