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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
It would be safe to assume that most actors, at some point, wish to be behind the camera in the same capacity that they’re in front of it. In the likes of other actors such as Bradley Cooper or Jordan Peele, the latter of whom is a producer on this film, Dev Patel has finally taken the same step.
Action films can sometimes be hard to do really well. Nearly every action film is the same when you strip it down to its core bones and ideals. However, it is the execution that makes action films successful, or even memorable if it doesn’t make much money. Patel’s Monkey Man is one of those action films.
Monkey Man features a new turn from Patel, serving both as the titular character and the director. This film is a fantastic example of pure dedication to the craft of action filmmaking. Patel bleeds into the camera, figuratively, and the audience can feel every punch he takes and lands. The film makes for a great character study. This is thanks to the screenwriting team of Patel, Paul Angunawela, and John Collee; Patel wrote the film’s story.
Minor spoilers ahead.
Religion
On the surface, there is a lot at play in Monkey Man. The film’s biggest theme is its religious and spiritual elements. Oftentimes, religion comes into play in an action film with the main character usually having some link directly to that particular religion within the film; in some cases, it eventually acts as a redemption for the main character.
Patel’s character also goes by Kid or Bobby, oddly enough, and the film begins with his mother, Neela (Adithi Kalkunte), telling him the legend of Hanuman to Bobby when he was young, perhaps days before her death. Hanuman is used here as a revenge type of tale and helps to ground the film’s story. This element arguably brings in the spirituality, and the two themes feel like they try to co-exist or merge within the screenplay. Bobby doesn’t necessarily pray to Hanuman, but he does believe in him.
Redemption Versus Revenge
His final line, “Only God can forgive you now” is a really slick way to remind the audience what the character felt true redemption was: answering to whatever comes after this mortal shell. It is also just simply badass to watch as he fulfills his goal of revenging his mother. His final scene feels like he found his own redemption in some way by finding peace with a couple of antagonists’ deaths. A sequel could happen, but it doesn’t feel necessary.
In Monkey Man, religion isn’t central to the protagonist’s identity. Perhaps, the most intriguing element about him is that he doesn’t need redemption. He isn’t seeking it in any sense of the word. He seems to not even care about dying by the end of his quest. The character will do anything to reach his goal: revenge for his mother’s death literally at the hands of Rana Singh (Sikandar Kher), the chief of police, under the orders of Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande), a powerful crime lord masquerading as a guru. The film’s political undertones are also handled differently than one would expect in an action film, but it’s a nice addition to an already-packed film.
Technical Pieces
Dev Patel’s direction makes for one of the strongest feature filmmaking debuts in modern cinema. The camera movement is very smooth. There is a one-take kitchen fight scene near the climax that is fantastically shot and rivals even the work of recent hits like the John Wick film series. The name drop of that character was quite nice too. The fighting itself for Patel is mostly one-sided for the film as he broke his hand, amongst other wild injuries, during filming. However, this doesn’t take away from the action in any way. The main character doesn’t even seem to be phased by the beatings he takes throughout the film. Patel turns into a character that could quite actually rival John Wick, Ethan Hunt, or John McClane. Watching him get hit almost sucks to watch, but then he just comes back so gnarly on his enemies.
Sharone Meir’s cinematography is fantastic and blends very well with the story Patel wishes to put on screen. There is frequent movement of the camera and it’s very smooth altogether. Editors Joe Galdo, Dávid Jancsó, and Tim Murrell bring in a few choppy pieces of editing throughout the film. The production design by Pawas Sawatchaiyamet is on par with John Wick: Chapter 4, which featured amazing sets. Monkey Man‘s use of the color red throughout is of great use, symbolizing the main theme of revenge. The main character is continually lit within or near red, even sometimes with natural light giving off a red hue.
Final Thoughts on Dev Patel’s Monkey Man
Monkey Man is a great display of action filmmaking. In his own words, Dev Patel wanted to make an action film “with some culture” and attempt to turn the genre on its head. His execution was deliberate and fired on all cylinders. The sheer dedication to the craft is to be applauded as well.
Monkey Man features amazing action choreography which completes the film. The action beats keep the film moving, and the training montage seems to bring the film full circle in terms of what will make it successful. The conclusion is one of my favorites within an action film, and the final flashback after the end seems to act as a way to bring the main character some peace too.
4.5/5 stars
Dev Patel’s Monkey Man is now playing in theatres everywhere.
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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.