Dev Patel makes his directorial debut with Monkey Man, a gritty, graphically violent, and brutal revenge thriller. The film follows the adventures of an enigmatic and taciturn character known only as “Kid”, who fights against the corruption and social injustice rife in contemporary India.
Patel also plays the anonymous antihero, a kid who grew up in the slums of Yatana, a fictitious and bustling city in India rife with corruption and violence. To eke out a living he dons a monkey mask and fronts up to an underground fight club where he is regularly pummeled and beaten. His opponents and Tiger, his sleazy fight promoter (Sharlto Copley, from District 9), take home a fortune, giving him a small proportion of their winnings.
But Kid is driven by a desire to wreak revenge of the man who murdered his mother several years earlier, the cravenly corrupt and powerful police chief named Rana Singh (Sikander Kher) who forcibly removed villagers from their town all in the name of redevelopment. Singh is in league with Baba Shakti (Makrand Deshpande), a powerful and corrupt religious leader who has the ability to shape the outcome of the upcoming national elections. With the aid of Alphonso (Pitobash), Kid manages to ingratiate himself into a job working in the kitchen of an upmarket club run by the foul-mouthed Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar), which is the playground of the rich and powerful, where he hopes to come face to face with Singh. Kid soon works his way up to a position where he waits on the guests in the main VIP private lounge.
Monkey Man was a passion project for Patel, who wrote the script in collaboration with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (The Water Diviner). Patel proves himself to be a capable filmmaker who shows plenty of promise behind the camera. He makes some stylish choices in the way he frames and stages the brutal, fast paced and carefully choreographed fight sequences which show the influence of both martial arts films and the kinetic action cinema of Korea with a touch of Taxi Driver thrown in for good measure as Kid tries to protect Sita (Sobhita Dhulipala), an escort who works at the club. The action takes place in the days leading up to an important election and the annual Diwali celebrations.
Cinematographer Sharone Meir (Coach Carter) does a good job in shooting the action using handheld cameras to take us into the thick of it all. Meir also creates a vivid contrast between the slums and the dirty streets of the city and the bright neon light interior of the club (although the film was actually shot in Indonesia). There is also some great production design from Pawas Sawatchaiyamet.
Monkey Man derives its name from an old Hindu myth about the Hanuman, an outsider who rose up against the corrupt and powerful forces that were oppressing the people, but it is also steeped in contemporary Indian politics. Patel compares this mythological character with those superheroes he grew up with as a child. However, the film is a little too long, and the action slows down for some moments of mythology and religion. Some repetition creeps into the disjointed and obtrusive flashback sequences.
Monkey Man sees the transformation of the charismatic Patel into a kick-arse action hero; a kind of Indian John Wick if you will. Patel is best known for his roles in the TV series Skins, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire and the AFI Award-winning Lion. But here he’s undergone a remarkable physical transformation. It’s obvious he’s worked out to build up his physique for this physically demanding role. Patel handles himself well with the part, and apparently suffered many injuries as a result. Could this be his audition to become the next James Bond?
Pitobash provides some much-needed comic relief with his performance. And as the villain of the piece Kher is a rather one-dimensional cardboard cutout type without any depth.
Monkey Man was initially slated for a digital release via streaming giant Netflix, until it caught the eye of producer Jordan Peele who has championed its theatrical release. It certainly makes for a visceral cinematic experience.
Greg King
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Greg King has had a life long love of films. He has been reviewing popular films for over 15 years. Since 1994, he has been the film reviewer for BEAT magazine. His reviews have also appeared in the Herald Sun newspaper, S-Press, Stage Whispers, and a number of other magazines, newspapers and web sites. Greg contributes to The Blurb on film
