Monkey Man
Directed by Dev Patel
Written by Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela, John Collee
Starring Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma
Rated R
Runtime: 121 minutes
In Theaters Friday April 5th

by Tori Potenza, Staff Writer

This year I attended my first SXSW. I was sad I was not able to stay for the entire trip but the night before I left I had the absolute honor of attending the premiere of Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man. The trailers made it seem like another in the line of John Wick-esque action movies that have become popular because of the success of the franchise. But what we ended up seeing was something quite different, something that feels like true movie magic. Along with that we got to see an introduction and Q&A with Dev who’s unabashed love of cinema and pure enthusiasm was a reminder of why films and representation are so important. Dev received a standing ovation and Monkey Man won the SXSW audience award, both completely deserved. This is a gorgeous genre film with an important social message that is literally covered in the blood, sweat, and tears of a passionate filmmaker and it leaves you wanting to watch it again as soon as the credits start to roll.

The plot has a pretty straightforward revenge story at its core. Patel plays a character simply known as “kid” who’s singular goal is to get revenge on the men responsible for killing his mother and burning down their village when he was a small child. The simplicity of the plot allows for Dev Patel to fill his world with incredible characters, Indian mythology, social issues, and the universal theme of eating the rich. It has an intense energy and pacing that also makes its 2 hour long runtime feel like it flies by.

At the premiere Patel mentioned that almost everything that could go wrong with the filming, did go wrong. Including the fact that their cameras broke and portions of the film had to be shot on his iPhone and he broke his hand meaning that he had to fight one handed for one of the larger fight scenes. Going into the film with that knowledge made the movie all the more impressive for how well put together it was and with how these issues worked their way into the structure of the story. The iPhone footage is used early on and it makes the scenes rather chaotic, but as the story goes on and as “Kid” becomes stronger the camera becomes steadier. The fact that this real world struggle helped to utilize the camera as a storytelling device is beyond impressive.

From perfect needle drops to expertly crafted scenes of violence and gore there are few things that genre fans will be left wanting in Monkey Man. On top of showing off how diverse of an actor Patel is, he has also proven himself to be an exciting new filmmaker with a clear cinematic eye. While it has the fun action genre elements that people will love there is also a deeper look at the caste system and the ways that those in power often wield their power to to harm the most helpless amongst us. And unlike other films in the same vein, ultimately this is not just about one man getting revenge. It is about empowering a community to stand up for themselves and harness their collective power to fight injustices which is the type of messaging we need now more than ever.

With all of the debates around AI and its use in art and film, Monkey Man stands as an incredible reminder that when someone puts all of their energy into their art, you can feel it. And that is something that technology cannot replicate. Dev Patel poured his heart and soul into this movie, and battled a global pandemic and more than a few major injuries to get it made. Which makes this underdog story feel even more like pure magic that it was completed and is as good as it is.