Dev Patel's "Monkey Man" is a massively ambitious, tight-fisted good time
If Hollywood’s upcoming slew of original action IPs are half as passionate, the genre’s in for another renaissance. Dev Patel’s debut as writer-director wears heart (and quarts of blood) on its sleeve, and despite a shakily paced first act, the giddy passion at the core of Monkey Man permeates every scene. The editing, the writing, the loose structure – it all comes together to get the audience on-side; to incentivise the key suspension of disbelief that really amplifies the film’s charm. The only bump in the experience is the nameless protagonist “Kid”, who at times is indistinguishable from “Angry Dev Patel”. Once the motive is completely revealed and the motor has revved to full throttle, there seems to be no further nuance to our protagonist, whose characterisation only seems to resurface in, for example, brief moments of sympathy for innocent onlookers during a fight scene. With few apparent shortcomings or even the denied desperation that the character begins with, The Kid at times comes across as a Batman with no Bruce, or even John Wick stripped of that convoluted code which at least dished out some intrigue in the franchise’s earlier instalments – our Monkey Man is only a vessel for the action.
Similarly, the film’s surreal setting exists along the blurred-but-real lines. It is clear Patel has something to say about the socio-politics of modern India, but beyond “Corruption can exist in both Church and State”, that something isn’t quite apparent. The same can be said for the religious invocation of Hindu mythos. There are parallels made, imagery consistently reused, and even mention of the Vedas, but if a concrete connection is made to Kid’s story, it’s easy to miss. It definitely grounds Monkey Man in something unique, but largely serves as just another vessel for the action.
But for the action, I have only praise. It is the connective tissue and the fire at the heart of this film, so obviously a labour of love for the team, who faced immense challenges getting the movie over the line during COVID. Every element of the film’s fight scenes was knocked out of the park. The clichés are sparse or altogether subverted, with the atmospheric arenas more varied and complementary than a Street Fighter game. The anger, contest, exhaustion – it is hand-to-hand combat at its best. The team have taken the best intentions of the John Wick franchise, and made clear, comparably superior choices in how to unify both narrative and choreography – every hit, block, injury, and grapple has a reason that serves to delight and refresh the audience for the next uppercut.
The violence is over-the-top and shockingly so, but our protagonist is so often out-manned and out-gunned that it never comes across as sadistic or unnecessary, which is a trap that some on-screen conflicts can fall into. Realism takes a back-seat to spectacle at just the right moment in every fight, and there are some pretty clever references to the influence’s apparent influences for long-time fans of the genre. Both in and out of fight scenes the visuals for Monkey Man are visceral, at times excitingly experimental and beautifully vibrant. More casual viewers note that the camera rarely stops moving, and for the film that works; there is no getting off the ride once it’s already begun.
Non-protagonist characters all operate as the personality of the film, though they do fall by the wayside when their storylines taper off to give way to Patel’s protagonist, stepping into the background as primarily just onlookers of the Kid’s wrath. Special mention has to go to Alpha (Vipin Sharma) who brings a real weight and tenderness to some of the most important scenes in the film. Tiger (Sharlto Copley) also really helps sell the ruthless and makeshift underground boxing scene.
Despite a slight messiness at the edges, Monkey Man is a triumph, a film to see, enjoy, see again, watch repeatedly over the coming years; to be held as a benchmark for modern action. Don’t miss this film.
