Dev Patel comes swinging full force in his directorial debut, Monkey Man, crafting an all-consuming revenge tale that seeks out moments of reflection in a cinematic showcase of passion for the first-time filmmaker.

Kid lets society push him down as he spends his days donning a monkey mask boxing in underground matches. Haunted by the memories of his mother’s gruesome death by corrupt police chief, Rana Singh, Kid is driven to seek revenge. Part of Kid’s plan is to pursue a job at the opulent hotel housing a secret brothel beyond its glitzy walls where Singh spends his nights. Working his way up the ranks and befriending a fellow worker, Kid learns the inner workings of this ecosystem to map out his time of attack.

The quest for revenge never slows down for Kid, but as he grows closer to his goal his backstory is slowly revealed to provide an emotional insight for the audience. Choosing to keep the film encapsulated in the fictional town of Yatana adds a layer of intimacy often missing from these major globe-trotting action films that mix the large scale with an independent film heart. Through Kid, Dev Patel holds his angst throughout that feels like a pressure cooker as the obstacles hit as well as the lingering political corruption in the air from the upcoming election. There is always intention behind Kid’s choices whether training a dog to bring in a gun or purposely losing fights he could win just to make money. He is determined to execute his plan at any length. His obsolete nature is a tool as he embarks on a deadly mission to provide a moment of peace for the people the government has discarded. Life in Yatana is marked by the large inequality gap between the rich living above in monstrous skyscrapers while the poor sleep on top of one another on the city floor.

The stylistic approach Patel takes to tell Kid’s story is astonishing given that it is his directorial debut and the many malfunctions reported from production. Knowing a lot was shot on an iPhone, the cinematography is rambunctious matching the energy of Kid’s non-stop retaliation that he perfectly paces to trust the patience of the audience. The camerawork is the star as it switches from flying to shaky as it captures some truly insane action sequences by Patel and company. Patel is committed to making sure he gets the action genre right while also adding his style. Monkey Man’s fighting style is brutal, Patel never holds back from crafting a bone-crushing moment that evokes audible responses from the eyes absorbing the mania. Squirming in a seat, the audience is placed directly in the POV of Kid from the pulsing sounds of rage to the quiet moments of peace and anxiety, every emotion is intensely felt through the screen. Kid relies on the power of his body to take on his enemies making for impressive takedowns from start to end never taking the foot off the gas until the very end.

Beneath the personal story of Kid is its background story of the impending election. The reigning political party of the fictional Yatana is never mentioned by name of the real-life BJP but the presence looms. He doesn’t hold back in conveying how the rich powers work to hold down the impoverished population with no room to rise. The stark contrast appears on the screen from adult Kid’s introduction to the gleaming lifestyle he is introduced to through his new job. As a director, Patel knows how to use these contracts to summon emotions of disgust at the current socioeconomic conditions very apparent to one half and the other choosing to be blind to it. Patel weaves together his narrative with the divisive political landscape mirroring how the real-life party has the same effects in his fictional city. Monkey Man doesn’t lean too far into specific critiques of the reigning party saving more of his intent towards the treatment of marginalized people. With no place to run, Kid finds himself saved by the hijras, India’s third gender who have been shunned by society. They give Kid the space to shed his past to move on with his life, sparking him to immediate motivation to rebuild himself and defeat his demons. He is no longer letting the past define him, drawing on the tale of Hanuman to overcome all evil. In return, Patel doesn’t just use them to be representative but places the hirja center stage in the gritty action during the climax.

Balancing the political and personal, it is the personal that makes Monkey Man what it is. Dev Patel uses the story of Monkey Man to experiment with the cycle of destruction, evolution, and redemption, which results in an unbelievable cinematic experience of clarity. Led by Patel he carries himself from reflection to full distress, communicating how much this meant for the first-time filmmaker to create a new story to add to a genre he loves and build a future for what is to come.

Grade: A

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: None

Where to Watch: In Theaters

Jillian Chilingerian
she/her @JillianChili
Lives in LA. Loves Iced Americanos and slow burns.
Favorite Director: David Fincher
Sign: Leo