Dog’s Movie House: “Monkey Man” Energetic Debut From Actor Dev Patel!

As action film’s go, “Monkey Man” is an ambitioius debut for Patel, who also wrote and produced the film. It combines India’s culture and politics with underground fighting along with the famous tale of Hanuman , the god of courage and strength who just happens to resemble a. . .you guessed it, monkey. Kid wears a gorilla mask during his underground fights for the slimy Tiger (a great Sharlto Copley), getting his ass handed to him every night for bonus money. The movie’s story works on many different levels with different foci: the fighting, Kid’s past, the infiltration into the exclusive club run by the ruthless Queenie (a delightfully vicious Ashwini Kalsekar). All of the antoganists are absolutely hiss-worthy and it really makes the audience want to see Kid go to town on these evil people.

As a first-time director, Patel has a confident ease behind the camera and engages in some breathtaking moments of action. One of the early scenes in which Kid arranges a pick-pocket scheme of Queenie’s purse in order to gain access to the club is a pure visual thrill-ride. The finale is also a banger in terms of action and choreography as Kid fights his way up the exclusive club all the way to the penthouse and Shakti. There is also an energetic chase sequence in the middle of the film after the initial attempt to kill Rama goes south.

It’s that chase and fight sequence that provides one of “Monkey Man’s” few problems. Patel relies a little too much on the handhled camera technique that results in the chaotic “shakey-cam” feel. On the small screen this wouldn’t be much of a problem but on the big screen. . .let’s just say I was tempted to go into the lobby to ask for some Dramamine with my popcorn. These frenetic scenes, many of which are shot at night with subdued lighting, making it tough to tell what’s going on at times. Fortunately, “Monkey Man’s” finale winds that chaos down a bit, making for a much more entertaining experience.

Now after thinking about it for a day or so, I’ve come to the conclusion that the fight scenes serve another purpose: to illustrate the the state of Kid’s mind. For the first half of the film, Kid is highly motivated but only partially effective at achieving his goal. He makes mistakes, not always paying attention and letting his emotions get the better of him. Kid needs refinement and discipline, and he gets that after being rescued by the hijra, the “third gender” community of India, essentially India’s trans population. Their priestess Alpha (Vipin Sharma) nurses Kid back to health and helps him on a journey of self discovery. clearing and disiplining Kid’s mind so that he may hone his anger and rage into a focused weapon.

This happens at about the midway point of “Monkey Man” After this, the film’s fight scenes are smoother (if no less brutal) and more controlled on the part of Kid. It’s actually a brilliant narrative move by Patel, but it’s a bit of a tough watch for the first hour or so. But that’s only a minor problem with “Monkey Man” which features fine performances by Patel and his co-stars, with Sharma as a standout as the priestess Alpha. Kalsekar’s Queenie is delightfully nasty and you will definitely want to see her get hers. Kher and Deshpande are also great as Rana and Baba Shakti, respectively. Deshpande in particular gets a chance to shine as the snake-like cult leader with designs on ruling India.

Overall, “Monkey Man” is a fine piece of action filmmaking from Dev Patel. Although it will be compared to “John Wick” “Monkey Man” differentiates itself with its setting, action style, and emotional and cultural resonance. It’s not a better film than “John Wick” but it certainly is close to its equal. A must for action movie fans. 4 Out Of 5 on Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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