Monkey Man isn’t afraid to fight dirty, using brute force to overpower its simple narrative structure. This high octane revenge thriller will leave you breathless in the wake of the the beatdown it inflicts.
Marking the directorial debut of actor Dev Patel, this movie is hopefully a sign of great things to come. Patel served as writer, director and star, which I can’t imagine was easy given how physically demanding this performance is. It’s a fairly standard revenge story, but Patel ensures it’s kicked into overdrive with how gritty and brutal the action gets. The story also has a nice emotional core, both surrounding Patel’s past and some companions he meets along the way.
It’s rough around the edges, but the guerrilla style cinematography gives it a beautiful kind of chaos that heightens the intensity of the action. There are a handful of scenes where the camera work is a little too unwieldy, not allowing you to get a proper grasp on what’s happening on screen. The action still kicks like a mule, but I wish I could’ve gotten a cleaner look at it. People are drawing comparisons to John Wick, but beyond the revenge element, it’s a totally different kind of movie. Whereas John Wick offers gorgeously choreographed “action ballet”, Monkey Man’s action is messy and chaotic, giving it a more realistic feel. Like I said, this movie is not afraid to fight dirty.
Monkey Man amplifies its straightforward tale of revenge with relentlessly chaotic action. Dev Patel’s ferocious directorial debut is rough in all the right ways, making it a must see for any action junkies out there.
4/5
Review by: Benjamin Garrett