Monkey Man (2024)

When it comes to actor Dev Patel, I’ve only seen two of his films before. Those films are Slumdog Millionaire and Lion (which he was nominated for). He may not be my favorite actor but there’s no denying that the man is absolutely talented. And, as someone who’s also a fan of the action genre (something my blabbering mind has continuously made clear), I wasn’t sure what else was out there that I haven’t seen yet. Until, I finally watched Monkey Man. I’ve actually wanted to watch this movie ever since it came out but I could never find the right time for some reason. Now that I’ve seen it with my own two eyes, it was quite an awesome addition to the action genre. I found myself immersed throughout the entire film and I was always wondering where the story would go. I’ll admit, it has some familiar themes that anyone would recognize from this genre, but I don’t think that’s really that big a deal here. It had another spin on these themes and I liked how they were utilized. And as long as I’m entertained, who the hell cares about the little things? I have more to say about this action-packed experience so, let’s step into a world where every hit means something.

     The story follows a mysterious young man (Dev Patel) scraping by in an underground fight club while carrying the weight of a painful past. As he infiltrates the city’s corrupt elite, his quiet rage begins to surface, setting him on a path toward reckoning. What I find particularly impressive about this film is that Patel not only starred in it but, he also co-wrote, produced, and directed it. I’ve mentioned before that this is not an easy thing to do but I thought it was a pretty strong execution nonetheless. I won’t lie, the one thing that kind of sets me off a little bit is how the camera spins from time to time. However, I did read online that due to budget cuts, multiple shots were filmed with GoPros and IPhones. So knowing that, this feels like an easy thing to let slide. Like I said before, it has themes that are easily recognizable like the “one-man-army” revenge arc, political and systemic rebellion, and a few other things. But again, I don’t care if some things were familiar because I still had a blast and was glued to the screen throughout. What more can a neurotypical movie-loving geek ask for? What I also like about this film are the stories behind it, like the fact that Patel made it because he was passed over for leading action or superhero-type roles. It was also pretty cool that he wanted to create a deeply personal action film that celebrated his Indian heritage. Another thing is how Jordan Peele got involved and acquired this film from Netflix and helped give it a theatrical release. There’s so much more I could say about how awesome Dev Patel is and how he crushed his directorial debut but I think this film should be seen rather than talked about because you won’t get much from an atypical critic like me.

     Despite some of the topics that are more similar than my strict routines, I would still highly recommend this film. It’s fun and it has a grounded emotional reality to it that you don’t usually see in modern action films. Overall, I would have to give this movie an 8 out of 10. So, if you’re looking for an action film that feels familiar but still feels like it offers something new, then check this one out if you haven’t already. Violent, emotional, and hard to ignore.