hunter albert

It’s hard to pay attention to every world crisis that’s taking place across the world. Whether it’s the current war between Israel and Hamas, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the persecution of Uyghurs in China, or the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, it’s hard to be caught up on every conflict taking place. For people in the United States, it’s even more difficult to pay attention to what’s happening outside of the country with increased political alienation that’s unfolded this millennium.

India’s current President is Narendra Modi, a far right politician who has been the architect behind India’s democratic backsliding. Since his election in 2014, India has experienced a rise in Hindu nationalism that’s led to increased discrimination against Muslims. Undermining of the free press, corruption of the police force, and the suppression of political opposition under Modi has rapidly changed the political landscape of India with dire consequences.

Monkey Man is Dev Patel’s directorial debut and tackles the current political landscape of India. Standing on its own, it’s a well executed action film with well choreographed fight sequences. But its politics aren’t explicitly spelled out and I’m not convinced than western audiences will see the film as anything more than a by the numbers story of revenge.

Our protagonist is only referred to by the name Kid (Dev Patel). During his childhood, Kid’s village is massacred by Rana Singh, a corrupt police chief, under the orders of religious guru Baba Shakti, who wants to claim the villages land for his own. While Kid is able to escape, his mother is beaten to death and set on fire.

Years later Kid fights at an underground boxing club, where he fights while wearing a monkey mask and purposely loses each fight in order to earn money. Kid vows to get revenge on Rana and Baba for his mother’s death. When the opportunity arises to work under Queenie, a woman who runs a brothel that Rana visits, Kid begins working in a kitchen and befriends gangster Alphonso. He lets Alphonso earn a big pay day by throwing a boxing match in exchange for working in Queenie’s VIP lounge. Here he encounters Rana, but unfortunately botches the assassination attempt. What ensues is an onslaught of action and fighting for the rest of the movie.

Narratively, Monkey Man almost feels like a fever dream. Very rarely is Kid actually talking with people around him, instead we hear his thoughts and are witness to countless flashbacks to his past. It’s a movie that at times feels very spiritual and philosophical. Imagine combining the philosophical narrative of a Terrence Malick film with the structure of Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2013 film Only God Forgives. Monkey Man is a better action movie than Only God Forgives, but never quite pulls off the emotional and philosophical weight of Terrence Malick’s movies.

I just don’t know if the narrative is going to land with many people. We’ve seen the revenge story done, pardon my pun, to death. We don’t even have to go back far in time to see the franchises of Taken or John Wick make a living off this concept. Monkey Man doesn’t offer anything new in this department, unfortunately. But what we do have is a very solid revenge story with well executed fight sequences. However, when its narrative takes a backseat to the action, it’s hard to fault the audiences for not taking notice.

Dev Patel does deserve a lot of praise for his directing. Too many times does Hollywood rely on the overuse of closeups and quick cuts to depict a fight, almost to a point where it feels insulting–if they make it confusing enough, surely we will think they know what they’re doing! I often think the opposite. Patel’s fight sequences are competent and easy to follow, it’s a respect to the craft of fighting, choreography, and cinematography. It’s clear that a lot of thought and care went into all the sequences. With Monkey Man, there’s a lot of fighting and I was never bored with any of it. Fights in boxing rings, close quarters, rooftops, kitchens, and back alleys showcase not only the diversity of sets, but also shine a light on society in India from the very poor to the luxurious.

I did find the monkey mask that Kid wears to be a little cheesy. To my surprise, outside of the boxing ring, he barely wears it. For as much promotional material had him donning the mask, I figured it would be featured more prominently. There’s even a moment in the film where he wears a white mask, almost mirroring the transformation of Gandalf. Yet after knocking out one enemy, he takes it off and we never see the white mask again.

Monkey Man is an exciting debut from Dev Patel, who has shown he was already a near masterful understanding of directing action sequences. It’s a movie that is exciting from start to finish, even if it retreads water we’ve already tread countless times. There are political and social themes on the current climate in India and I would be hopeful that it would cause people to take notice of what is currently transpiring there.

★★★½