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| 'Monkey Man' (2024) |
I’m once again playing catch-up with another small review for a film that I didn’t get to catch earlier in the year. This time, I’m taking a look at “Monkey Man”, a film that is also the directorial debut for its star, Dev Patel.
In “Monkey Man”, Kid (Patel) is working as a heel for an underground night club, taking dives against more popular fighters under the moniker “Monkey Man”. Meanwhile, Kid is also trying to exact revenge against those who murdered his mother. However, he soon finds that he is not only fighting for his own vengeance, but for others who have been terrorized by the same people.
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| Dev Patel is Kid in 'Monkey Man'. |
Patel makes his directorial debut with this movie and it is quite a movie to behold. It is actually a bit slower than I expected it to be, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The movie begins as a revenge film and while the revenge element never goes away completely, Kid at least learns that he is also fighting for a greater purpose.
The movie is beautifully shot, so kudos to both Patel and his cinematographer Sharone Meir. The action sequences also hit hard when they do happen and this is one of the better action films to emerge in a post-”John Wick” world that has films featuring high energy, well choreographed set pieces.
The movie takes a look at real world problems such as discrimination on a marginalized group, poverty, and the class systems that separate the corrupt rich from the poor people they claim to represent in seats of power. That means that this movie has more to say rather than just being about a guy against the world and that also helps this movie stand apart from other action films in recent memory.
So, to quickly recap, while the movie can be slow at times, it knows when to kick up the action and it just so happens to have a sociopolitical message to go along with it. This is a great action film that everyone should check out and a wonderful directorial debut for its star.
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