• Release year: 2024
• Director: Dev Patel.
• Producers: Ian Cooper, Christine Haebler, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Anjay Nagpal. Dev Patel, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Samarth Sahni and Jomon Thomas.
• Screenplay by: Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela and John Collee.
• Cinematographer: Sharone Meir.
• Music by: Jed Kurzel.

Shotgun Commentary: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) meets John Wick (2014) in a grimy vengeance tale.

Review

Monkey Man is your average vengeance story with great visuals and satisfying deaths. As far as imagination goes, there is none in the plot of the film, it merely follows the infinite line of vengeance films made before it.

However, as far as directorial debuts go, Dev Patel has absolutely nailed it. It is a pretty big production in which he stars, writes and directs, and, even though the writing is not the most original, he fulfils the other two roles masterfully.

Another day, another vengeance

If you hear “vengeance story”, you probably think of a narrative like Monkey Man’s: a wronged man tries to get vengeance but isn’t powerful enough, he loses at first, gets better, and tries again, with the outcome depending on the vibe of each film. This description fits Monkey Man, but also any vengeance movie ever made, from Liam Neeson to Stallone and even Seagal in his own campy way. For this reason, one cannot really praise the main plot line. Nevertheless, a few interesting themes are brought up along with the main one. Themes that, while also not mind-blowingly innovative, are quite interesting.

One of them is the usual for the genre: the corruption of power. Of course, the protagonist’s trauma features corrupt policemen abusing their power. This is followed by his bosses abusing their power too, and a whole business based on the exploitation of people in the centre of the narrative. Kid (Dev Patel), as a good protagonist out for blood, is a nice guy whose circumstances have made him who he is, but he is not trying to be a hero, merely to get revenge.

Despite the eat-the-rich mindset, he seems more interested in his own revenge than in changing anything about the amoral and unscrupulous society that he lives in. Yes, he ends up making some friends along the way, but it is essentially an accidental alignment of goals that bring them together, not the Kid’s desire to change the world. Ultimately, the whole commentary on the twisted dealings of the people in power fades into the background, being used as a reality that no one can change more than an issue that needs resolving.

Religion and influence

The same happens with the hypocrisy of religion and the so-called “religious leaders”. People who decide that they know better than anyone about faith, and who actually convince people that they are right. They prey on the uneducated and desperate, giving them false hopes while profiting from exploiting their beliefs.

This very common circumstance is exposed very clearly throughout the film and, even though it is also secondary to the revenge, it is explored more deeply than the previous theme. There are comparisons between the Kid’s boxing character: Kong, and the legend from which he chose to wear the mask of as part of his boxing outfit; and a lot of other sequences and narrations about his religion, stories that will have more meaning to the spectators the more they know about Indian culture and beliefs.

In this same line, there is a bit of a sexual identity statement. First, through a deity at the temple in which the Kid seeks refuge, and then when he meets the hijras. If anything, these moments are proof of how irrelevant it is to put labels on people. You don’t need to label people to know how to act around them. They are persons, and who they are has nothing to do with their gender or sexual orientation, it has to do with their heart.

It is quite interesting to see such a stroke of commentary about this very controversial theme on this work, it is not at all common for the genre, and it is so refreshing and exciting to see such an addition.

Patel on fire

As stated before, Patel’s interpretation is wonderful. Unsurprisingly, he adds depth to his character, bringing all sorts of nuances to his performance that make the Kid interesting and charismatic is his own chaotic way.

But not to worry, because his character isn’t completely out of the genre, he still has a superhuman ability to survive deadly blows and falls, and the most astonishing of all, he doesn’t die of an infection despite dragging himself around the filthiest places and falling into a river that resembles more a sewer than an actual current of water.

As for his role as director, Patel has made sure that the production goes on despite a few setbacks, and has delivered a film that manages to be engaging and interesting regardless of the lack of freshness of its main theme. Technically, the editing and cinematography take all the protagonism. The use of camera movements and shots to create metaphors and comparisons is simply gorgeous, the best of which being the mirrors and the posterior mirror-fight.

There are lots of situations where the camera hints as to what is going to happen or aids in the understanding of characters’ motivations or personality. It is a really clever use of resources that takes Monkey Man to the next level, making it stand out from the others of the same category.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t abuse your power.
• Your decisions might come to bite you in the ass later.
• Silver trays are way more dangerous than one might think, but still not as dangerous as a pencil in the right hands.

What’s your take? Have you watched Monkey Man? What did you think of the story? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀