I love that we live in age of cinema where anyone can try anything. Actors can be directors, directors can be writers, writers can be fighters for the users against AI. Whatever the career avenue, the branch gatekeepers of compartmentalized filmmaking continue to diminish and lines between what creatives can and can’t do continue to blur. Enter “Monkey Man,” an everything project from first time director Dev Patel. Yes, the same “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Last Airbender” Dev Patel has made an action revenge flick.
Not only does Patel star in the film, but he also directs, produces, writes, and has a story by credit. That is a massive undertaking for a first timer in 4 out of 5 categories, and while he is very clearly spread too thin, his passion for “Monkey Man” cannot be denied. Patel may bite off more than he can chew, with the film constantly in flux between bold ideas and inexperience, but the groundwork and competency he shows in each facet is a huge promise for a standout creative that can only get better as he hones his skills.
Written, produced, and directed by Dev Patel, “Monkey Man” is a revenge story that follows an unnamed protagonist known only as Kid, or Monkey Man. Haunted by the destruction of his village and brutal murder of his mother, Kid makes a living fighting in underground fighting as Monkey Man. His real purpose is to murder the men that took everything from him, which leads him to the top of government, police, and religion. As he attempts to exact his revenge on those who have ravaged his people and family, he is of course unprepared for the foes he wishes to challenge. After a failed attempt at killing the police chief who had a hand in murdering his mother, Kid must find solace in the myths of Hanuman and remember who he truly is in order to bring those above the law to justice. “Monkey Man” stars Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash Tripathy, Sikandar Kher, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Zakir Hussain.
Patel proves that he is a genuine fan of cinema, drawing from a multitude of filmmakers, genres, and storytellers to bring “Monkey Man” to life. We’ll get into how this acts a detriment in a bit, but as a catalyst for a stylish, engaging action thriller it is a positive. Being able to recognize the pure love of film that Patel brings to his passion project elevates “Monkey Man” even when it is operating well within the confines of its revenge thriller genre. This is just some guy with more money than he knows what to do with so he decides he’s going to make his friend’s bad movie. This is someone with a vast appreciation for cinema as an art form, a man who has not only been a part of filmmaking as an actor but someone who has done a tremendous amount cinematic research to bring his “Monkey Man” action vision to life. While many will draw singular comparisons to “John Wick,” Patel proves that he has watched way more movies than the limited American assassin series.
What is most unique about “Monkey Man” is that Patel opts to stick to formula while altering the lineage of said story. Rather than following the typical revenge hero’s journey in linear fashion, he opts to rearrange the standard pieces to bring a sense of uniqueness to a tried and true story. “Monkey Man” never ventures outside of its genre, but plays with how those pieces are put together. It is a strength of filmmaking, with the action really taking off in the third act and delivering a balls to wall, bone crushing action run for its final 30 minutes or so. Patel pulls from everything here; “Bourne Identity,” “John Wick,” even “The Raid Redemption” are all present, as well as a vast knowledge of Bollywood cinema themes and ideas. It is a first time director drawing from a never ending well, and when Patel dials into a specific influence he really understands how to bring it to life. “Monkey Man” has some really stellar action set pieces, brimming with clever ideas and cinematography that deliver some pulse pounding action sequences.
Where it falters is his own inability to reconcile his influence with his own skill behind the camera, taking on way too much in a single project to really hone in on the task at hand and create a tautness something like “Monkey Man” works best with. Because Patel is behind every piece of filmmaking, the story and pacing and even some of the framing doesn’t quite reach his ambitious vision. There are moments of greatness (like his attack on the VIP kitchen in the third act) and moments of confusion, like the rickshaw chase scene that has no frame of reference or geography and makes some incredibly strange and off-putting editing choices. “Monkey Man” is brilliant one moment, obviously amateur the next. Patel wants to do one too many things at a time, and comes just shy of aligning his ambition with his execution. Unfortunately, he is too green for the latter to take hold, littering what could be an all timer with strange narrative choices and some camera work that just doesn’t capture the action efforts put forth by Patel himself and his team.
Flaws and all, “Monkey Man” is a showcase of promise for a first timer taking on a multitude of roles in a single film. If this is what Patel can do when he stretches himself too thin, then sign me up for whatever he does next when he may be more reigned in and not as overcommitted. Not only did “Monkey Man” challenge him physically, but he clearly has a heart for a great many things that he wants to express here. And I believe that if he’s willing to relinquish some control over other elements of filmmaking, Patel can reinvent himself as a pinnacle action star and filmmaker. “Monkey Man” may not all come together in totality, but where it works it shines and where it falters it still shows incredible promise for what can come next.
And that’s a train I’m willing to board. “Monkey Man” is stylish and action packed, and one helluva way to announce your directorial debut. So whatever weird idea you’ve got next Mr. Dev Patel, I’m here for it.
Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
“Monkey Man” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
