Monkey Man

If you had told me a year ago that Dev Patel would play India's answer to John Wick, I would have thought you were crazy, but here we are with Monkey Man, in which the actor directs himself as a man determined to take revenge on the people who murdered his mother and stole their land.

The film features plenty of brutal fight action - a mix of gun play and hand to hand combat - but Patel succumbs to that irritating trend - shaky cam with rapid editing; I'm sure this technique hides a multitude of sins, but it always feels a bit like a cop out to me and makes it rather difficult to follow the action. Monkey Man also suffers from erratic pacing, with lulls in the action that go on for a tad too long. If Patel had had the confidence to shoot his fight scenes in a less chaotic manner and had kept the pace more consistent, I think the film would have been better for it.

That said, I didn't dislike the movie as a whole - Patel does well in his role as avenging angel and the level of violence is impressive. I definitely had far more fun with Monkey Man than either of the other two big screen releases I have seen recently: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla x Kong, both of which were hugely disappointing.

Just Got out of an Early Screening of Monkey Man.

It was a High Intensity Watch at Times. It has an Effective Display of Energy up on the Screen. I didn't know Dev Patel Directed this. I must say, it's a Very Good Execution.

A Mix of Indian Mythology, Hand to Hand Combat and Great Sound Design and Score.

Things I Liked -

1a. 💪 Dev Patel is very good in this, he's brutal, both in giving and receiving Pain.

1b. 💪 Staying on the Fighting, Some of the Fight Sequences and Fight Choreography were very Good.

2. 🎵 ⚡ The Thumping Score and Sound Design Vastly Elevates What's Happening on Screen, it sounds very Good on the Ear 👂. It's very Effective Stuff.

3. 📜 The Plotline is Interesting Enough, as I said it's a Mix of Indian Mythology, Some Real World Indian Political History, Brutal Hand to Hand Combat (Some Gun Play too) and a Revenge Story.

4. Loved the Ending.

Overall, a very High Intensity Watch at Times.

A really enjoyable and at times moving actioner, with a good heart and enough social commentary to elevate it above the ordinary.

First time director (and kudos to him, this is a brilliant debut film) and star Dev Patel shows here that he is a director to watch and a bonified movies star. The boy has chops. Here he plays Monkey Man, an underground street fighter just striving to make a living in the slums of India but with a burning desire for vengeance. As the film progresses we are slowly introduced to both the target(s) of his vengeance and the reasons he is crippled by it.

You've seen this all before in a hundred films of its type but this has enough style and substance to it to stand out from the rest. The fights scenes (especially as the film progresses and our protagonist improves) are dynamic and kinetic, the camera never stops moving. But there are enough quiet, still, thoughtful moments here to raise this film above the usual chaff. The flashback scenes are filled with warmth and beauty and show a real eye as a director. The film uses music exceptionally well to add both gravitas and levity to scenes where needed.

With influences from western cinema, Indian cinema and especially 90s East Asian action flicks this film has enough pace and action for the fight movie fans but also enough of a story and heart for the general movie goer. You'll be rooting for our eponymous Monkey Man to get his vengeance. As I said a really excellent directorial debut from an already established young, proper movie star. The future really looks bright for Mr Patel.

I think the comparison of Monkey Man and John Wick is not so correct. Sure.......both are revenge story. But both are conceived quite differently. John Wick delved into the universe of hitmen, while Monkey Man is a straight and dirty action thriller. It's actually a "superhero" movie after Indick. One of the big pluses is the atmosphere and setting. The movie is really Indian and not a US movie set in India. The approach to the story is related to this. The film starts off sharp and tries to keep it up for the entire footage. I also have to praise the action sequences. It is not a revolution, but they are filmed excellently and relatively raw. The main character is likable and relatable. Of course, the film is not perfect and anyone could argue that it is a fairly standard story about revenge. And it is so........... but it is done differently and brilliantly. A beautiful 8.5/10 for me.

Got to see an early screening of Monkey Man. I had good expectations going off the trailer and they were met and beyond.

The film starts off well and builds momentum for a decent revenge arc although it is hard to follow sometimes. The shakey camera work contributes to this as well as the dialogue not being particularly clear.

However what takes this film from good to great is the final third. The music, the action, the violence, it was just so incredibly well done especially for first time director. I couldn't take my eyes off it and didn't know what to expect next.

Thank you Jordan peele for saving this from streaming as this deserves to be seen on the big screen!