Synopsis:
Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Cast:
Review:
Monkey Man is a new action movie that stars Dev Patel, and is also directed by him. Patel is already an acclaimed actor who has delivered multiple brilliant performances throughout his career, and now he is making his directorial debut with a new bold, action film that is produced by Jordan Peele. Monkey Man had a very difficult production, Dev Patel broke his shoulder and hand performing a stunt, they broke a camera, and at one point their funding was pulled. The difficulties did not stop there, once the movie was complete, Netflix decided to drop the film and not release, so at one point there was a chance that this movie would never be released. That was when actor/writer/director/producer Jordan Peele stepped in. Peele, as you might know from his famous sketch comedy show Key and Peele, but also for writing and directing movies like Get Out, Us, and Nope, also owns a producing company called Monkey Paw. Peele got a chance to see the film Monkey Man, and loved it. He thought the movie was too good not to be seen by audiences, so Peele bought the rights to the film and then released it with his production company Monkey Paw. Thanks to Jordan Peele the film was released last weekend, and the movie was terrific. Monkey Man is a dark, gritty action movie that is infused with Indian culture and myths. The camera work is truly remarkable and the action scenes are filmed in a way that makes you feel as if you are in the movie. The movie does an exceptional job of immersing the viewer into this criminal underbelly of India. The movie’s action is also exceptionally brutal so be warned, if you are sensitive to blood and gore this movie might not be for you. The action and cinematography are great, but at the heart of this film is Dev Patel. Not only is this one of the most impressive directorial debuts I have seen, but he also delivers such a brilliant performance. His character is searching to take revenge on the people who killed his mother, but he is also looking to stand up against the powerful who are oppressing the poor in India. We know very little about Dev Patel’s character other than that he wants revenge on the people who killed his mother. That’s all we know about his character, we don’t even know his name, but somehow they create so much empathy for this character, and we want so badly to see him succeed. The movie also does an excellent job of making you hate the villains, so when it came to the fight scenes, every punch felt necessary. This movie surprised me a lot, and it was a very impressive directorial debut, and I can’t wait to see what Dev Patel does next. Monkey Man is one of the best action movies to come out recently, and I highly recommend making a trip to the theater to see it, and thank you to Jordan Peele for allowing this movie to be seen in theaters.