On April 18, the action movie Monkeyman premiered in theaters, which became the directorial debut of famous actor Dev Patel. He also played the main role in the film. In the review below we tell you why the project is worth the attention of fans of the genre and how the local star feels in the role of an action hero.
Pros:
Dev Patel tries not only to make a quality action movie, but also adds social commentary, supported by a dramatic line, and all together it looks very good; expressive cruelty and uncompromising action scenes; good staging of fights; the film definitely has its own style and personality, despite comparisons with outstanding predecessors; good acting from Dev Patel
Minuses:
the jerky style of filming with dynamic editing and continuous close-ups will not appeal to everyone; general secondary plot; several logically questionable episodes; Like any action hero, this one can take too many beatings and serious injuries
Monkey Man
Genre Action, Thriller
Directed by Dev Patel
Starring Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikandar Kher
Premiere cinemas
Year of manufacture 2024
IMDb website
In the Indian metropolis, mired in corruption and the tyranny of the powerful, a skinny guy in a monkey mask dances in the dirty ring of an underground fight club to receive another defeat. Once in his childhood, his mother told him legends about Hanuman, which the guy remembered for the rest of his life (hence the image of a monkey), and then a corrupt police chief brutally killed the woman in front of his frightened son. Today, the hero is hatching a plan of revenge so that every scoundrel will answer for this heavy loss. Indian-born Briton and Oscar nominee Dev Patel is unlikely to be associated with the courageous action hero, because he never really encroached on the territory of these “yours.” John Wick” or Jason Statham. Therefore, his choice for his directorial debut seems extremely unexpected. But after watching it, we can say for sure that this world would at least have lost an interesting action hero if the stars had aligned differently.
Monkeyman is compared to the aforementioned Wick by everyone (one of the English-language reviews described it as a “John Wick festival in Mumbai”), not to mention a direct mention in one of the dialogues, but these comparisons are not always appropriate. Yes, here we have an unshaven, shaggy hero in a strict business suit, also scattering bullies in different directions, there is blood gushing in the frame, and even a cute dog has a place. But from a purely formalist point of view, the film is made in a slightly different manner.
Where the creators of the hit with Keanu Reeves deliberately refused editing cuts and preferred to shoot outstanding fight choreography with a camera effectively circling around the characters, in Monkeyman they prefer jerky filming, maximum close-ups and well-chopped editing.
Almost the entire film is built on this principle: something is constantly flickering on the screen, everyone is running and fussing, to quote the classic. The image sometimes becomes completely blurred, and the bright neon light fills the sweaty, bloody faces across the entire screen, and it seems that you can see each droplet separately. All this produces the desired effect; It seems that a little more, and you will feel the taste of blood personally when the next villainous face collapses.
In addition, the charismatic Kyanurivzian steadfastness and poise are completely offset here by the openly frantic gaze of Dev Patel, in whose eyes all the anger of this unjust world has accumulated.
We should not forget that “John Wick” relied more on its own surreal and slightly comic-book mythology (bizarre rituals and traditions of the killer universe, multiplied by the rules of the luxury hotel “Continental”), flirting with the aesthetics of samurai cinema or even a western. The Monkeyman narrative is based on Hindu mythology and does not hesitate to criticize the glaring social inequality and corruption in India, and no one really cares about any codes of honor. Because of this, and also taking into account the dramatic line, you won’t find any irony behind the bloody mess here during the day with fire.
Despite the fact that the plot is absolutely secondary and as old as the world of a revenge movie, visually it is a fascinating and very dynamic action attraction with a bright style and a dedication to the material on the part of the filmmakers that is noticeable to the naked eye.
In fact, all their efforts deserve respect and recognition, considering the heavy production of the film. At first, it was almost canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic; the creators also faced financial difficulties, and when the ubiquitous Netflix bought the rights to the show, it turned out that the streaming service was not ready to release the new product due to political and social commentary in the plot. Jordan Peele became the saving grace, thanks to whom the film not only appeared on screens, but also received a full-fledged theatrical release. And then came a ton of positive reviews from film critics (88% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing).
Overall, Dev Patel really did a great job and performed very well for a debut. He and the team of screenwriters understood perfectly well that there was no point in trying to deconstruct the genre by issuing yet another copy of outstanding predecessors without their own face. For example, there is an episode where the authors hint that now there will be a scene in the spirit of the cult “Oldboy”, but this does not happen.
And even though not everything in the film is perfect, Monkeyman looks quite original, and most importantly, interesting, so that you want to talk about the enrichment of the genre with a new bright representative instead of remembering some rough edges. Take them down with all your might, Dev!
Conclusion:
“Monkeyman” still falls short of becoming a huge sensation, but it is two heads above typical State-movie or, for example, all five outright trash like the later “The Expendables.”
