Monkey Man

Whoever expects an action spectacle and wicked thrashing will inevitably be disappointed, though I can’t remember the last time I saw a film that radiates such pure and palpable anger, or even rage. Dev Patel has filmed a somewhat fragile story about brutal revenge that, based on the myth of the monkey king, shakes a fist at contemporary India and its social chasms and injustices. Monkey Man is refreshing in that it doesn’t build up a macho avenger, but a character who has to harmonise his masculine and feminine sides in order to become the (monkey’s) fist of justice. The film nicely mythologises and works with the antithesis of the image of India as a land of light, fragrances and colours that we know from the dreadful Slumdog Millionaire. Patel goes all-in on both aspects. Intense acting, imaginative directing – the way the film inventively changes style and tells the same story twice reliably held my attention. In addition to that, I was emotionally touched by the motif of motherhood and the ensuing fragility of the modern-day Hanuman. The result? A film that economises on the action, but it doesn’t seem lacking. Like its protagonist, it works hard for its moments. Monkey Man knocked me out. (04/05/2024)

Some good revenge flick has spawned a child with Slumdog Millionaire and emerged with a confident directorial debut that is anything but a simple action flick for housewives to iron their laundry. Dev Patel also approaches even the usual scenes in his own original way, so that even an ordinary training montage is brimming with ideas that won't soon get stale, and the action sequences themselves, which the film spares, demonstrate imaginative choreography. The cinematography is brimming with over-stylised colours and I liked how the mental processes in the protagonist's face are originally portrayed through cartoonish images. But where the story of the monkey man breaks out of the usual genre pigeonholes is its socially critical feel. India, though beautiful, is actually a harsh country with huge social divides where even within the same neighbourhood you can find luxury and abject poverty side by side, and Patel beautifully highlights and critiques this. There is the luxury of modern skyscrapers and right next to it a neighbourhood of dingy slums with crowded, cramped alleys. But the poor here are not in the position of those who bemoan their status, but as someone who has a rich inner life with faith in their Indian deities. Unexpectedly, you learn more about Indian society from this film than the shallow fairy tale of the aforementioned Millionaire, which also wanted to be a social probe, but stuck with the fairy tale. Sure, not everything Patel does is up to scratch – for instance, the elevator fight to the completely unsuitable accompaniment of Boney M is one of the most bizarre things I've seen in the action genre, and I don't mean that in a good way. But those are minor things, Dev otherwise handled it with flying colours. (09/08/2024)

MONKEY MAN! MONKEY MAN! MONKEY MAN! MONKEY MAN! A bloody action romp with a mystical intermezzo and a subtle political background. Dev Patel is the writer, director and star of this heartfelt revenge project. The cleansing of the indigenous population for the sake of building a factory (probably for biscuits) resonates nicely, but the audio-visual package takes this unconventionally told traditional story to a new level. Contact battles alternating points of view, a high-paced chase through crowded streets, sweat and blood, and a cut through social groups from the bottom to the top. All beautifully framed by the tale of Hanuman. A unexpectedly mature work. (04/08/2024)

Good stuff, though a little different than I expected. Dev Patel turned out to be a good action hero, but more importantly he managed to show his talent as a director. He knows how to play with visuals and over-stylized colours, beautifully evoking the feeling of two worlds in an Indian metropolis, and he's totally confident and assured in action. He makes imaginative use of camera and editing, as well as cover versions of 80s songs, and he's not afraid of blood in the slightest. Monkey Man is very much a gritty spectacle, and in the action scenes it recalls The Raid or Ong-bak, and Tom Yum Goong with Tony Jaa in its dirtiness and uncompromising nature. So it's rather disappointing that all this visual and action deliciousness is based on the most banal revenge story, there are virtually no supporting characters and the Indian mysticism has perhaps too much space for my taste. Moreover, it doesn't really get going properly until somewhere around the middle, so I left the cinema feeling that I might not have gotten quite what I was hoping for. As a debut, however, Monkey Man is mature, imaginative and clearly acted and filmed with gusto. As an action filmmaker, Dev Patel will definitely interest me. (04/02/2024)

John Wick with neon vibes in Only God Forgives. The determined punching bag fixated on revenge, after his spiritual preparation, goes for the shining mango, well aware that it is the sun. The caste system, corruption, ostracization of the Hijra community, the majority of wealth in the hands of a minority—all these are just lightly touched upon so that the focus can be intensely placed on the individuals responsible. It’s not an original transformation of anger, but Dev Patel holds his film above Mumbai like a mighty Shiva. (07/17/2024)