
Dev Patel becomes what can be described as a blockbuster in ‘Monkey Man.’ Some aspects come to the edges and the mix may be off some of the times, but the enthusiasm is unmistakable here which can be felt in a genre that sometimes just seems to be off the production line. Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung, “The Raid,” Korean action, Bollywood films, and others came up in the discussion along with the reason this writer, producer, actor, director, and the guy who broke a few bones on set was painfully waiting for the chance to create this one and was anxious if he would get the chance again was in the introductory scene of “Monkey Man.” If you want to see what a chaotic shoot looks like but with a great creativity level, then ‘Monkey Man’ is the film to watch. One can tell ‘Monkey Man’ has great potential if it is ever released because it was started pre covid era when the world was in a perfect mental spot. When ‘Monkey Man’ works, one can reasonably claim that the film earns those claims that were made in the introduction. After all, when it does break, those mistakes can also be given byproducts of the serious over-competitiveness of the director.
In the film “Monkey Man,” which is inspired by the legend of Hanuman Patel is an undisclosed character that goes by ‘Kid.’ Sharlto Copley plays the sleazy promoter who employs Kid to face enormous amounts of beating while wearing a gorilla mask and getting money as a ring fighter. With a few documentaries shot about a Kid, he gets paid more if he is hurt during the fight. Even though Kid has a number of war-torn hands and a fiendish face, an actor like Patel makes use of those very ferocious pair of eyes as motivation. This is a young man with a purpose. Nothing will interfere with his progress.
This unorthodox young man steals his way into a job at an elite club that is filled with the top power brokers of the town including the mayor and the police chief (Sikandar Kher) who ruined him in the first place. Other faces in the supporting cast appear, such as the stunning club hostess (Sobhita Dhulipala) and a partner of sorts who by accident ends up in the scheme (Pitobash) but it is Patel’s film. Almost every single shot defining his evolution from a common man to a ruthless killing machine has him in his present or one of the flashbacks.
To end our discussion, viewers who wish for continuous fighting in “Monkey Man,” may be confused by the format. It’s elementary really, a long setup then a long action sequence and repeat. Aside from the two action sequences in “Monkey Man,” which are really only two action sequences, those objectives are well worth the wait. Patel has taken action templates from other parts of the globe and combined them with a kind of savage intensity that we seldom see in movies reeking of Hollywood studios. “Monkey Man” is violent, bloody, and full of action. Bones are being shattered, blood is gushing out, and the impact is in connections that are usually not experienced at a time when great action seems to be changing into more ‘well animated’ fights in movies such as ‘John Wick’ or ‘Mission Impossible,’. This is not to say that even here the choreography is not great it is however what’s different is that as violent choreography is being executed, there is a sense of being sweaty and ‘on-the-spot’ in its creation. You can neither avert your gaze from the screen nor anticipate what will happen next. Many thanks to editors David Jancso & Tim Murrell and also Sharone Meir the cinematographer who seems to shoot the film almost in hand cam style pipe loose from any restrictions.
The film has a few clear pitfalls in places apart from the action scenes which are sound. There are obvious political overtones that will be researched better by some other knowledgeable people and which I cannot claim to understand, but one does not need to be familiar with the chronology or current issues of India to see that Patel the writer has taken on way more than anyone ought to. Religion, mythology, equal rights, the politics all have a part to play in this story and can sound rather awkward even to the ignorant who are not familiar with the specifics. Patel goes back to the past way too many times and not even skillfully at that; every time he thinks the audience is becoming detached from the action he rushes to a flashback. It’s quite comedic because it appears that Patel the Director has inferior confidence in Patel the Actor, which is why this entire mission is backed by an excess of flashbacks. We can observe the strong will active in Patel’s posture and gather so much from his eyes with tenderness that holds both, the suffering of the past and the resolve of the wrath.
It is accurate to say that Patel’s editing team is an expert in the fight sequences but one would also do well to say that other places, including the non-action parts, are also too fast, in an effort to wake up the audience when there is no bloodshed on screen. Patel does not have to. It is obvious he is an asset, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. I have a hunch that “Monkey Man” will be a big hit. And it is for this reason that when he knows he will be making the second, third, fourth, and additional parts, he will cut down overly sophisticated narration and visuals in a way that will be legendary. “Monkey Man” may have been made in the past to transform into a character in an action franchise, but I see it more as the beginning of his career as an action star and action director.
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