Dev Patel comes out swinging with his directorial debut, Monkey Man (2024).
It’s wild to think that the film was destined to go straight to streaming considering its box office potential. Rescued by Monkeypaw founder Jordan Peele and delivered into theaters, this rousing, feel good story of a nameless warrior, Kid (Patel) fighting back against India’s wealthy and powerful elite is culturally distinct, but still familiar and readily accessible.
Monkey Man opens with Kid playing the heel in Tiger (Sharlto Copley)’s bare knuckle boxing circuit. Kid is the character the audience loves to boo and he goes down when he’s told (and paid) to.
The fighting is only one of his gigs, though. He works multiple jobs/hustles to get closer to what he wants: a gig in Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar)’s nightclub/restaurant, and access to the individuals who burned his hands, torched his village, and killed his mother when he was a child.
The back story is revealed sporadically throughout the film in nightmares and flashbacks. It’s arguably the least successful aspect of the screenplay, if only because it is teased as something of a reveal, but it’s very obvious and formulaic.
The screenplay’s other issue is that it is light on characterization. None of the other characters make much of an impression outside of Kid, whose character arc only works because the film is walking in the steps of countless other revenge tales. There’s a familiarity to this tale; the film itself is a fairly streamlined affair that’s narrowly focused on the revenge aspect.
With that said, Monkey Man works in large part because of Patel: the actor lights up the screen with both his charismatic presence, as well as his physicality (Seriously, there’s no denying how skinny-ripped the kid from Skins got).
Comparisons to John Wick are somewhat inevitable: not only is the Keanu Reeves franchise the dominant contemporary action series, but there are several sequences in Monkey Man, including a skyscraper climax lit in part by fireworks, that feel like Patel and cinematographer Sharone Meir are paying homage.
Still, to call this an Indian knock-off of Wick would be a great disservice. While Patel, John Collee, and Paul Angunawela‘s screenplay is obviously cribbing from countless other action films, Monkey Man draws inspiration from the god Humanan‘s story (the film opens with Kid’s mother reading it to him), as well as a scathing critique of corruption and greed in India’s institutions. It’s no surprise that it is facing heavy censorship in India considering the film’s indictment of the police force, represented by Police Chief Rana (Sikandar Kher), and religion, embodied by religious/cult leader Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande).
Another element worth celebrating in Monkey Man is the inclusion of members of the hijra community (eunuchs, intersex, and trans people). Led by Alpha (Vipin Sharma), this group of “underdogs, voiceless, marginalized” (Patel’s words) outsiders living on the fringes of society not only welcome Kid in his moment of need, but they play a vital role in his uprising, which offers the film one of its biggest “fuck yeah” moments.
In addition to the hijra, there are a few other characters along for the ride. This includes Alphonso (Pitobash), Kid’s co-worker at Queenie’s club, as well as a girl (naturally), Sita (Sobhita Dhulipala). The latter is a sex worker that Kid makes eyes at, but as a character, Sita is woefully underdeveloped. Dhulipala and Patel have great chemistry, but, aside from one memorable exception, Sita is really only there to look gorgeous.
Ultimately Monkey Man‘s main selling feature is its action and, in that capacity, the film delivers in spades. Patel and Meir tend to shoot the action with handheld cameras, which lends a lot of the hand to hand combat a visceral intensity. These fights feel messy; they’re choreographed, obviously, but there’s less polish and more scrappiness to Kid’s technique than the usual Hollywood production. This makes the action more exciting because the outcome feels less predetermined, even if the outcome is what the audiences hopes and desires.
- Sidebar: Patel infamously injured himself a ton during shooting, which only makes the fight scenes more impressive. My personal favorite moment is Kid’s innovative use of his mouth during a knife fight in a tight elevator, which is very on brand for the character (he’s fond of biting because, again, the fighting is scrappy).
Patel’s direction is very stylish, verging on ostentatious. And though it does occasionally drift into “everything but the kitchen sink” territory, it’s hard to fault when the level of excitement and enthusiasm is so palpable. Patel’s passion for the project practically radiates off of the screen.
While it would have been nice to flesh out the characters a little more and give supporting players more to do, the film’s connection with nature, its inclusive representation behind and in front of the camera, and the kick ass action makes Monkey Man an easy sell.
It’s a very good time, particularly with a packed crowd who reacts to every bone crunching moment. 4/5
Monkey Man is now playing in theaters