Monkey Man marks the directorial debut of Dev Patel, in the film also: producer, co-author and leading actor. Patel, who achieved fame for his performance in the unforgettable The Millionaires Of Danny Boyletakes us back to «his» India with a fresh, splatter and sensationally entertaining action movie. In Monkey Man interprets Kid (Dev Patel)a boy who grew up in an Indian forest village with his mother Neela who educates him by telling him the stories of the divinity Hanumanthe ape man of the Indian epic Ramayana. Baba Shaktiis an unscrupulous political leader of Yatana, an imaginary city near Kid's village, eager to conquer their lands. To do this he instructs Rana Singhcorrupt police chief, of sexpel the inhabitants by any means possible. During the operation the entire population is massacred and their houses are burned, Kid is saved by his mother who manages to shelter him, but just as he is hidden witnesses his killing at the hands of Rana Singh. Scarred by what happened, he will lead his life looking for revengeending up infiltrating the criminal world of Yatana where, to earn a living, he will fight in the ring under the name of Monkey Man.
To realize his first workPatel steals from cornerstones of action cinema, Monkey Man is full of quotes from Tarantino and to the films of John Wick, taken and seasoned in sauce Bollywood. The result is exceptionalnot for those who suffer from cinema too crudegiven the copious presence of blood, but more for lovers of the genre. When watching the film it happens several times that you have to cover your eyes or turn around instinctively so as not to see the screen: the action scenes often go beyond the limit of what is bearable. It is precisely here that films like this come to mind Kill Billnot only for the blood splashes and the poor mutilated enemies, but also for the rhythm given to the sequencescharacterized by sound effects already heard in Tarantino's works and in those with Bruce Leethe director himself admitted his deep love for the starring franchise Keanu Reeves and for all those splatter films from which he took inspiration.
Dev Patel doesn't just fill two hours of film with fighting, shooting and knife throwing, he fits them into one Compelling and well-developed plotto. As in Slumdog Millionairealso the story of Monkey Man starts from loss of the protagonist's mother, victim of widespread violence in India, due to the cultural and religious differences that characterize the country. The story of Kid's life is an opportunity to learn more about the Indian tradition and the country's social disparityissues that have always been close to Patel's heart.
Monkey Man might not have made it to the cinemaits production was very troubled: the covid had forced the production to change locations by moving to Indonesia, and there was also an injury to Patel on set, the victim of a nail that pierced the little finger of his hand. He is I also had to save on everything, starting from the costumes, passing through the make-up and finishing with the special effects. The film was initially intended to Netflix who then changed his mind: according to them the criticism of India was too strong, not in line with the contents that are usually hosted on the platform. It was then Jordan PeeleOscar-winning director for Run away – Get Out, to take the film to heart, finding it a distribution in cinemas.
Considering all the vicissitudes he had to face, Dev Patel's debut is certainly positivebut forget about the good boy of The Millionaires: The like blood, not quizzes.
Source: Vanity Fair
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