Anyone who followed my obsession with The Green Knight knows I love Dev Patel. I was disappointed when his directorial debut was going to be a direct-to-Netflix affair, especially given the streaming giant’s recent disappointing output, but I was hopeful for this guy. Jordan Peele pulled that film out of the algorithm to give it a theatrical release. What came of that is a bit shaggy, but that’s sort of on-point for Dev Patel’s character. The writer/director/star of Monkey Man has delivered a pretty great debut, one that won’t go down as any sort of forgotten masterpiece but a fascinating film all the same.
None of that should dissuade you from the film. It’s an absolute blast that’s full of raw energy and sheer confidence. Kid, Patel’s unnamed character, is making ends meet by fighting at the Tiger’s Temple, an underground boxing club run by a man known only as Tiger (Sharlto Copley). He’s on a path of revenge against a myriad of wealthy (Ashwini Kalsekar), fascist (Sikandar Kher), and religious figures (Makarand Deshpande) who came together to destroy his home and kill his mother.
A very basic premise for something much more complicated, Monkey Man joins the ranks of other 2024 films that are upset with the idea of relgion being used as a form of police state power. Patel’s script (co-written with John Collee and Paul Angunwela) cannot always connect a fist to a point without pouring a gallon of blood on it but when it hits it does so with precision. This is a film that knows how to use Sharlto Copley but cannot figure out how to edit a flashback, that can’t find it’s pacing but features Dev Patel leading an army of transgender women into combat. It’s difficult to describe the structure because the way your backstory and prime timeline are intercut can make things hard to connect with. It won’t be hard to follow unless you just don’t pay attention, but Monkey Man often finds itself emotionally in the weeds.
That still gives us an incredible run of performances. Patel is a proven figure but he’s working with a lot of performers unfamiliar with most Western audiences. Pitobash Tripothy (I Am Kalam, Begum Jaan) is a blast as the sort of sidekick character, goofy and proud of his teeny auto rickshaw. His performance is so silly but feels so much like multiple middle management figures in my life that everything feels earnest. This performance is only topped by that of Vipin Sharma as Alpha, the leader of the temple warriors that pulls Patel’s “Kid” character up to greatness. It’s the most heartfelt, heartbreaking performance in the entire film. As a leader of a hirja community, the whole collection of scenes serves as some of the most interesting moments.
I dug Monkey Man but I didn’t love it. It’s awkwardly put together despite being beautiful to look at. There’s not a bad performance but only a couple of them manage to transcend. I think most will have a blast with it even if you’re confused by its cultural influences. They beg the audience to educate themselves on what’s going on with the other side of the world. And it packages itself in a Wick-lite package, with Wick references to keep that from being overwhelming. I had fun with it, and I think most of you will as well.
Monkey Man is available to rent/buy digitally in all the regular places.
WRITE DRUNK; EDIT DRUNK 