Monkey Man

A good revenge film that takes its time to develop the protagonist. Dev Patel gives a gut-wrenching portrait of man that lost everything. Enhanced by some creative photography, the violence is brutal and visceral. Taking its time, the film asks the audience to be patient for the hero to fully come into his "powers," but the payoff is well worth it. There is some "shaky cam," but not too much to ruin the experience. The spirituality, as well as the legends told in the movie, really add to the overall story, giving the film more substance than a lot of action films. The villains could of been developed a bit more, especially the Lion, but that's nitpicking.

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!

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.

Revenge movies being incredible or forgettable boils down to two factors. The quality of the action choreography and original fight scenes, and the ratio of backstory/reason for revenge to actually getting revenge. What made John Wick the pinnacle of revenge movies is how they masterfully build a world during action sequences, spending only the first 1% of the movie establishing his reason for revenge and then taking you for a thrill ride of artfully choreographed violence. Monkey Man sadly is not the Indian John Wick because where John wick does more with very little, Monkey Man conversely takes the opposite approach essentially dividing the film into two acts. The first half of the movie, roughly accounting for 65% of the duration of the 2 hour film consists of backstory, reason for revenge, and without spoiling anything, setbacks.

A successful revenge movie understands that pacing is the sharpest blade. There may be setbacks. But they don't set back the pace as the movie always inches forward towards revenge.

While it is true that it is possible to enhance the satisfaction of revenge by focusing more on the reason for that revenge, this is extremely difficult to do and in almost all cases ends up causing the movie to drag. This was very much the case with Monkey Man, or as my title refers to it - Monkey Marathon.

Monkey Man has elements of what it needs to be to achieve a John Wick level of action film, but it goes in the completely wrong direction. Long form story telling. Drags. The whole first act drags and doesn't need to.

78%

Monkey Man is a watchable action flick that lacks depth in its storytelling. Set in India, the narrative revolves around religious beliefs and addresses issues surrounding godmen and their false prophecies. While the action sequences are brilliantly choreographed and a treat for action movie lovers, the story fails to delve deeply into the themes it touches on.

As a result, I couldn't emotionally connect with the main character, played by Dev Patel. The plot ultimately feels like a typical revenge tale. Although the filmmakers seem to draw inspiration from John Wick, they fall short of fully replicating its impact.

That said, I appreciate how the movie highlights significant issues, such as the exploitation of religious beliefs by godmen, the politics around them, the land encroachment affecting the poor, and other social concerns. The visuals are stunning, and Dev Patel delivers a commendable performance, though there's little scope for other actors to shine.

On the bright side, the movie is engaging from start to finish without any lags. Overall, it's a decent one-time watch for action enthusiasts.