Dev Patel Strikes Action Hero Gold in “Monkey Man”

One of the main stills of Dev Patel's character Bobby in Monkey Man. Photo via Maymun_Adam_08

Dev Patel didn’t want to wait to be casted in a John Wick-style action movie, so he wrote, produced and directed himself in one instead.

Patel, the writer-director of “Monkey Man,” is most famously known for his leading performance in Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire,” as well as his time on the cult U.K. hit “Skins.” But nothing that Patel has done, both as an actor and filmmaker, could have prepared any of us for “Monkey Man,” his magnum opus and something that could quite possibly propel him fully into the limelight.

“Monkey Man” is a film that exudes a passion for film, be it through the camera work, the stylistic choices, the brutal, well-choreographed fight sequences or Patel’s performance as a man possessed, looking to avenge the death of his mother.

The significance of the title is inspired by the epic poem Ramayana. Hanuman, who was a Hindu deity, is the leader of an army of monkeys that go against the demon king Ravana. This explains why monkeys are so significant to Patel’s character Bobby, and why he wears a gorilla mask when he fights in the ring.

Patel is not only the star of the film, but he is also behind the camera; it’s already evident that he has a certain style in the way he directs and the way he wants to make movies. There is a rawness to the film that many other films in this wheelhouse don’t capture successfully.

Obviously, the biggest comparison being made is to “John Wick,” the action franchise starring Keanu Reeves. It even gets meta, making a reference to it in one of the scenes. Without a doubt, “Monkey Man” is a lot like “John Wick,” the action being the main similarity. Both of these movies love to feature their titular hero killing people in the most obscure, interesting ways. 

In all honesty, the plot of the movie is something we’ve seen a million times before, especially in “John Wick,” and only really exists to service the action sequences. A man loses everything and spends years plotting his revenge on the people who wronged him. Yes, we’ve seen it, we know how it goes, but Patel doesn’t make it any less interesting.

It’s quite easy to predict where the movie is going, but it’s still super engaging, with a couple of the kills during action scenes being quite intense.

The movie is headed by Patel, with a cast of somewhat unknown Indian actors and actresses, all of whom are great in their roles. Although these roles are somewhat limited in what they are given, the cast doesn’t disappoint when they’re needed.

The main gripe I have with the movie is that, although it follows a pretty cookie-cutter formula, and does so really well, it feels slightly unearned. Throughout the entire first act, the audience is led to believe that Bobby is meek and reserved. He fights at this fight club and constantly loses, he barely talks and he simply works as a dishwasher minding his business without really doing much else.

However, as the film starts to ramp up, Bobby just starts killing people, creating firecracker bombs, stabbing and shooting people and running from the police, almost coming out of nowhere.

Once the final act comes around, we fully learn the extent of Bobby’s ambitions and true motivations as a character. He goes on an epic odyssey in Mumbai’s underworld, infiltrating the King’s Club — the club catering to the elites of Mumbai and where Bobby works — and challenging everyone in his path. 

The end of the film presents us with a collage of heart-pounding, bold action sequences that perfectly encapsulate the feeling of wanting to take your eyes off the screen, but not being able to.

As an action movie, “Monkey Man” is incredible, fully immersing viewers in the journey that Bobby goes on, despite the story leaving a lot to be desired.  Although it could have been a bit more polished, the film is an excellent viewing experience. 

Patel clearly has directing and writing chops, none of which anyone could have seen coming. “Monkey Man” is an enthralling debut, and leaves many, including me, wondering what his capabilities are as a filmmaker for future projects.