Explosive
Summary
Monkey Man is one of the year’s best action movies with Dev Patel proving he’s not only got what it takes to carry an action movie but he can direct the Hell out of one too. It does have a mild pacing lag in the middle but this felt like something new despite the familiar revenge story making this a must-see.
Plot: A young man ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he’s beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, he 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.
Review: I love when a movie comes out of nowhere like this one did; I had no idea Monkey Man existed until that amazing trailer was unleashed a while back and it looked fantastic. A new action hero is born in the shape of Dev Patel who has his own particular set of skills which he gets to show off in this movie. He also wrote and directed it proving that he is a man of many talents. I think he’s a fantastic actor where he can come across as incredibly intense and yet vulnerable at the same time.
In Monkey Man he plays a mysterious man who calls himself “Bobby” but we never actually find out his real name. As a child he witnessed his mother being brutally murdered and he vowed revenge on the people responsible. That’s pretty much what the movie is about, but it has more soul than your average action movie with a spiritual side we don’t get to see in most American movies.
I enjoyed seeing seeing Indian culture explored and Monkey Man isn’t afraid to get a little surreal at times with some stunning visuals to go along with the graphic violence.
This is easily one of the year’s best action movies and exceeded my expectations with brutal fight scenes and some wonderfully gruesome kills. The fights were put together by Brahim Chab who also shows up as King Cobra in the fantastic ring fights which explains why they are so epic.
Many will compare this to John Wick (which is even mentioned by name at one point) but this movie is more like Ong Bak or The Raid which is no bad thing; there’s a griminess to it which makes you feel like you need a bath afterwards, but it really draws you into this world and doesn’t let you go until the end credits roll.
Dev Patel has what it takes to carry a movie like this where we are completely on his side as the villains are so hateful that they deserve everything they get.
The music is awesome although was I the only one who thought it sounded like Top Gun at times? You’ll know what I mean when you see it…
I’ve read some reviews that say this doesn’t really do anything new but I beg to differ; the final showdown begins with literal fireworks, but I don’t want to say anything else about what happens next to spoil it.
The pacing does drag a little in the middle, but I still was totally into the story and we even get a training montage as “Bobby” prepares for war.
Overall, Monkey Man delivers brutal beatdowns, graphic kills and some stunning visuals with a bruising performance from Dev Patel who proves not only a capable action star but a great director too. This is worth seeing on the big screen so if you get the chance get out there and support quality R rated action cinema.
