Monkey Man - Review 

Rating: 4 out of 5

DEV Patel has described Monkey Man as a long held passion project. The self-confessed action fan wrote and directed, as well as stars, in the film, which merges what could have been a straightforward revenge thriller into something with added cultural and political insight as well as something a little mystical.

Having gotten his big screen break in Slumdog Millionaire, it’s perhaps by surprising that Monkey Man contains the muscular energy of classic Danny Boyle, complete with a pulse-pounding soundtrack.

But in terms of action inspiration, Patel also borrows from some genuine heavy-hitters: The Raid, John Wick and even Kill Bill. It’s no small compliment to say that the young filmmaker has delivered at least one sequence that deserves favourable mention alongside those greats.

Patel takes the lead role as Kid, a loner and part-time bare knuckle fighter who is tortured by flashbacks to his mother’s (Adithi Kalkunte) vicious murder in a village raid orchestrated by the corrupt chief of police Rana (Sikandar Kher) and a rising political heavyweight, Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande), who sees himself as something of a guru.

Kid is himself part-inspired by the Hindu monkey deity Hanuman, which allows the film to embrace the mysticism surrounding that tale, thereby offering an insight into a different culture that lends the film its own identity.

But it also engages on a political level, despite being set in the fictional Indian city of Yatana, allowing Patel to offer commentary and insight into the divide between rich and poor, and a corrupt elite that have obvious right-wing, fascist leanings (evocative of the current regime).

Again, this affords the film an identity that feels unique within the genre it represents… something even further underlined by a mid-film sequence that finds Kid forced to recuperate from life-threatening injuries amid the hijra, an ostracized community of “third-gender” – trans women, intersex, gender-nonconforming – warriors who nurture and train him.

There are even traces of horror in the way that Patel frames the abuses that his villains apply to innocent civilians - including Kid’s mum - which undoubtedly would have helped to attract the attention of Jordan Peele, who serves as a producer, and whose involvement in the film’s protracted development ultimately helped it gain the cinematic release he felt that Patel’s visual flair deserved (it could have ended up going straight to streaming).

There is a lot to admire here: tough, brutal action befitting the type of films that undoubtedly inspired Patel, as well as an involving character story.

On the down side, the film’s relentless energy and often hallucinatory style (especially during the first half) can be dizzying to the point of distraction; and its restlessness may be too much for some (especially on the big screen).

The film could also have benefited even more from some better character interplay, particularly between Kid and the leader of the Hijra, or Kid and Sita (Sobhita Dhulipala), an alluring escort at the club Kid works at. As things stand, Kid is pretty one dimensional in an outdated Man With No Name or Stallone kind of way.

The presence of bit part players such as Sharlto Copley’s Tiger, who runs the underground ring that Kid fights at, or Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar), the manager of a high-end restaurant and brothel, also feel superfluous and contribute to the film’s lengthy running time.

That being said, Monkey Man still manages to land some big emotional punches thanks to the strength of the relationship between Kid and his mum (relayed in flashback to satisfyingly poignant effect), as well as the stakes surrounding the big action sequences (you’ll root for Kid because his enemies are just so remorselessly bad).

And action aficionados are sure to lap up the many fight sequences - particular the lengthy climactic bout that begins with a breathless sequence in a kitchen (using utensils and pans in a way that would make Jackie Chan proud) and ends up in an elevated bar, in which the lighting is put to particularly effective use.

Monkey Man may not be for the faint hearted. But it heralds the arrival of an interesting new filmmaking talent in Patel, whose debut aims high and swings confidently alongside those he is paying homage to.

Certificate: 18

Running time: 2hrs 1min