Monkey Man is Action Packed Love Letter to Bruce Lee via Dev Patel

 

It was not lost on Oscar nominee Dev Patel, at the premiere of his directorial debut, he was standing in the very same theatre where his first premiere had been held for “Lion” just a few short years ago.  Looking back at the bigger than life screen, he humbly reflected on that moment, while issuing thanks and bringing his cast to share in the accolades at his side.  As heartwarming as this was, I couldn’t help wondering would the film be worth the wait?  Patel achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut 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 (Kid), an anonymous young man who earns a meager living in an underground fight club wearing a gorilla mask and beaten bloody by fighters for cash.

Packed with thrilling and spectacular fight and chase scenes, Monkey Man is swift, bloody and intense while touting an international cast led by Patel that includes s Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Sikandar Kher and Makarand Deshpande.

Watching Patel invoke his inner Bruce Lee married with a little John Wick infused characterization, simultaneously steeped in culture is a perfect example of why it pays for Hollywood to look past the traditional route of casting good looking white males to lead action films.  My head was in my hands and my body was hitting a little seat yoga while trying to avoid some of the bloodiest intense scenes, which may or may not have included a little throwback Mike Tyson ear mauling.  However, witnessing Patel hit Hollywood naysayers with a flick solidifying his action, thriller status was well worth the experience.

Serving as screenwriter and producer, in tandem with Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, the one issue I had with Patel’s film is most of the women characters were given set decorating roles without much substance.  The only exception to that rule is Queenie, perfectly executed by Ashwini Kalsekar, who would’ve provided an excellent and even stronger physical adversary if she had been given the chance and the screen time.

Having said all of that, Monkey Man is a thrillingly over the top action flick catapulting Patel into a new genre and lane for his cinematic legacy moving forward.