A man on a quest for revenge, add a little bit of folklore and a lot of blood and you have this season’s latest action film. Monkey Man tells the story of Kid, a young man who is working as a performing wrestler and busboy as he works on his plan for revenge. We’ve seen the angry man on a revenge quest so many times now – is this something that we need to watch again?
The short answer is no. It’s not that different than any other revenge-driven action movie we’ve seen before. The movie even references John Wick at a certain point. But this isn’t John Wick. If anything, it’s a bloody attempt at taking that genre and using a cultural background to make it relevant.
The most interesting part about Monkey Man is the callbacks to Hanuman and the cultural references in the film. While we appreciate the inclusion of the cultural aspects of the movie, the use of Hanuman was more just an inspirational story from his mother – and it’s more the rage that drives Kid through the whole film. It adds a bit of flare to the movie, and the story but overall, it seems like a weak and almost barely tangible addition to make a story.
The transgendered collective that brings him in to heal and protects him may be one of the strongest parts of the whole story. And their inclusion in the final battle scene is the most entertaining. This, of course, doesn’t make the movie any less bloody, gory, or hard to watch at times. But the collective’s acceptance and emotional connection seems to be the strongest in the movie overall, more so even than Kid’s rage-fueled plans.
So what makes Monkey Man so different than the other revenge action films out there? Not really much of anything. Yes, there’s a cultural twist on the story with a dash of folklore that is so thinly woven into the story that the story is almost forgettable. But it doesn’t hold back on the bloody fights. Sure, we see a lot of deaths and things in movies like John Wick and Nobody, along with the multitude of other revenge films out there. But Monkey Man seems to dwell on the bloody and the gory and relishes in them. If you’re looking for more of an action film, compared to a gore-fest, this may not be the movie for you.
Monkey Man is now playing in theaters everywhere.
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About Monkey Man
Oscar® nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as 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.
Packed with thrilling and spectacular fight and chase scenes, Monkey Man is directed by Dev Patel from his original story and his screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (Hotel Mumbai, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World).
The film’s international cast includes Sharlto Copley (District 9), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm), Vipin Sharma (Hotel Mumbai), Sikandar Kher (Aarya), Adithi Kalkunte (Hotel Mumbai), Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven), Ashwini Kalsekar (Ek Tha Hero), Makarand Deshpande (RRR), Jatin Malik in his film debut, and Zakir Hussain (Duranga).
Monkey Man is produced by Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas p.g.a. (Hotel Mumbai, The Man Who Knew Infinity), Oscar® winner Jordan Peele (Nope, Get Out), Win Rosenfeld (Candyman, Hunters series), Ian Cooper (Nope, Us), Basil Iwanyk (John Wick franchise, Sicario films) and Erica Lee p.g.a. (John Wick franchise, Silent Night), Christine Haebler (Shut In, Bones of Crows), Sam Sahni (associate producer The Wedding Guest, executive producer To Kill a Tiger) and Anjay Nagpal (executive producer of Bombshell, Greyhound).
Serving as executive producers are Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskaya, Jason Cloth, Suraj Maraboyina, Adam Somer, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney and Steven Thibault.
Universal Pictures presents a Bron Studios production, a Thunder Road Films production, a Monkeypaw production, a Minor Realm production, a S’Ya Concept production, in association with WME Independent and Creative Wealth Media.