Fúria Primitiva

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!

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%

"Only God can forgive you now"

Man. What a wild ride. Violent, fast paced yet beautifully shot. Great effort by Dev Patel on his directorial debut. He has managed to create a worthwhile action film with some great set pieces, neck, breaking stunts and an overall good looking film.

I think what triumphs the most is the fast pace, headache inducing editing (this is a positive) with some great colour schemes and set pieces. It's fast paced editing matched the chaotic streets of India, mixed with its rich culture and history.

The soundtrack was reminiscent of John Wick, with it's party scenes and colour palette. There was some great cinematography, especially through its use of silhouettes towards the final act.

You can see the directors, aim to portray the monkey man, as a legendary figure who supports the powerless, and the impoverished of India's lower class. He makes a stand against those who are in control, which is a great pairing for an action/revenge film.

I will say that the second act does falter a bit in its speed and does drag down in some places however, it quickly picks up pace again in the last act where monkey man turns into a proper beast.

You can see the message the director portrayed as he highlights the inequality surrounding the poor in India and uses this medium to show that there is hope and people willing to make a stand against those who are in control.

All in all a decent action film with great choreography, stunts, soundtrack and editing. This is an enjoyable watch, but doesn't elevate much further than your standard action flick.

All praise for Indian John Wick!

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.