Monkey Man (2024)
Director: Dev Patel
Screenwriters: Paul Angunawela, John Collee
Starring: Dev Patel, Sikander Kher, Vipin Sharma, Pitobash, Sharlto Copley
From the opening image of a bloodstained, monkey-mask-wearing Dev Patel standing in the glare of a boxing-ring spotlight, Monkey Man announces itself as uncompromising cinema. That single image sets the tone for a film that rarely lets the audience breathe: a relentless, two-hour ride of violence, ritual and revenge. After a tender opening moment between the protagonist—known simply as Kid—and his mother, the film diverts into brutality, forcing viewers to follow a character shaped by loss, rage and survival.
Monkey Man is essentially a revenge story, one that Dev Patel described in early pitches as “John Wick set in Mumbai.” The plot follows Kid, ripped from a quiet forest community as a child and thrust into the crowded, chaotic slums of a fictional Indian metropolis. Traumatized by his mother’s murder, Kid grows cynical and scrappy, resorting to petty schemes and bare-knuckle hustles to survive. A fateful job at an upscale brothel brings him face to face with Rana, the police chief responsible for his mother’s death, and from that confrontation the story detonates into a vivid, often gory campaign of retribution.
Where the film truly excels is in its physicality and choreographed violence. Fight sequences occupy a large portion of the runtime, staged with kinetic energy and a careful eye for visceral detail. Patel makes full use of his on-screen charisma and physical commitment, turning Kid into a magnetic but dangerous figure. Those familiar with Patel’s earlier work will recognize his emotional range and screen presence, but Monkey Man pushes him into more extreme territory: unhinged, resourceful and single-minded in his quest for justice.
The audiovisual design amplifies the action. A punchy, eclectic soundtrack propels many scenes, and the cinematography favors a saturated, dizzying palette. The film moves quickly across settings: one moment we’re amid a bustling marketplace overflowing with fruit stalls and hustlers; the next we’re inside opulent private functions where Diwali fireworks fracture the night sky. This commitment to bold color and frenetic movement keeps the audience engaged and unsettled, reflecting the inner chaos of its protagonist.
As a directorial debut, Patel shows ambition. He carries multiple credits—director, lead actor and story contributor—and his passion for the material is evident. He draws on a love for action cinema, cultural textures and genre conventions to craft something personal and distinctive. Production hurdles, including changes in distribution and funding challenges, reportedly marked the film’s journey to completion, but that struggle is apparent in the film’s raw intensity and at times improvisational feel.
Yet the film is not without shortcomings. Between the explosions of violence, Patel attempts to thread deeper political themes—race, religious persecution, gender identity and social marginalization—into the narrative. These elements are most visible in the film’s second act, when Kid spends time in a temple under the guidance of Alpha, a transwoman. There he encounters hijras, members of India’s recognized third gender, and the film gestures toward their history and struggles. This sequence is earnest and moving in places, but it sometimes feels rushed, as if the film is juggling too many ambitions at once. The pace that serves the action so well works against the subtler moments of social commentary, which occasionally lack the space and nuance they deserve.
Despite these uneven stretches, the film’s final act delivers a powerful payoff. The closing sequences cohere dramatically and thematically, offering catharsis without fully smoothing over earlier narrative roughness. For viewers attracted to intense action, bold visual design and an emotionally volatile lead performance, Monkey Man is a memorable experience.
Ultimately, Monkey Man is a testament to Dev Patel’s evolving talents. The movie showcases his instincts as an actor-director eager to push boundaries of tone and form. It’s not yet a flawless synthesis of ideas and energy, but it points toward a filmmaker with the appetite and skill to produce an eventual action masterpiece. For now, the film stands as a messy, thrilling, culturally textured ode to revenge cinema—ambitious, occasionally uneven, and frequently electrifying.
Score: 20/24
Rating: 4 out of 5.