Monkey Man (2024)
Released: April 5th, 2024
Genre: Action, Thriller
Director: Dev Patel
Writer: Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela, John Collee
Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley
Introduction:
It is no secret that I am a very big fan of Dev Patel and have been since his breakout role in Slumdog Millionaire (2008). I’ve seen him make me cry, and then as he got older he made me laugh in comedies (Best Exotic Hotel franchise), he inspired in movies like Lion (2016) and made me ponder my character with The Green Knight (2021). So when I heard that Dev Patel wanted to live his dream of making an action movie, I was hopeful he would get the opportunity. I’m thrilled to see this dream come to life for Patel, but it wasn’t an easy road.
A Summarized History:
Dev Patel wanted to star in the action film known as Monkey Man, but hoped Neil Blomkamp would direct, but he declined. The film was nearly scrapped because of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Netflix originally picked up the film but hesitated after viewing the completed copy. They nearly scrapped the entire film but decided to shop it around. Jordan Peele saw the film and felt it had potential, he convinced Universal to buy the movie and then put it under his Monkeypaw Productions banner. It was released to critical acclaim, but cold box-office results (28.5 Million).
Monkey Man was Dev Patel’s dream that almost never came to be a reality. Whatever comes next, I’m glad he had the chance to experience this.
What I Didn’t Like:
My biggest issue with this film was the shaky cam style that was used in some fight sequences.
Sometimes it felt a bit too close to John Wick. I suppose over time I can appreciate the film being self-aware.
There are characters that appear as if they may be more intricate to the story, but never really evolve.
What I liked:
Dev Patel is going to make or break this movie. For me, do I look at Dev in this movie and see a broken man who is on a journey of revenge and redemption? Yes, I do! Does he evolve from a scrappy high-energy fighter who can take a beating into a more disciplined and more well-toned and precise fighter? Absolutely. We see his character, Kid, develop. We see him lose and we build our empathy for him. Then when he comes back, he becomes easy to root for. He shines in this movie and I want more!
John Wick is great, but there should be no reason a film like this doesn’t get the same kind of love. I feel if it had a more pronounced marketing campaign, it would have been more of a box-office smash than somewhat of a letdown. The film has wonderful fight choreography an an intense energy deserving of praise.
Conclusion:
Monkey Man is a thrilling action film that understands how to build character. You allow for growth and then settle things with a stunning finale.
The Movie Guy and Friends 