'Monkey Man' Review: An entertaining thriller with a new take on the action genre

A bloody finger presses the up arrow on the elevator, leaving behind a crimson blotch on the white button. The backdrop of red-paneled lights silhouettes our dark-suited protagonist. Finally, the doors open, revealing our mysterious figure: Monkey Man.

Directed by and starring Dev Patel, "Monkey Man" tells the story of an underground fighter and his journey to enact revenge against the political forces that killed his mother. 

The film is an action-packed thriller that boasts several impressive fight scenes (albeit pretty gory), an engaging plot, and masterful cinematography. 

In the two weeks following the movie's release in the U.S., the film has received mostly positive reviews. On the film review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the picture has gained a critic score of 88% and an audience score of 84%. 

Writer Shirley Li of The Atlantic lauds the film as "A stylish thriller that's also a cathartic unleashing of Patel as a performer and storyteller." 

In her review, Li praises Patel for his commitment and contribution to the project. Li also likens Patel's protagonist to a mixture of his past characters and reveres the project as a film only Patel could make. 

Much of the film works around the legend of Hanuman, a Hindu deity whose complexion is half monkey and half man. 

The tale motivates our lead character, who wears a gorilla mask and adopts the name "Monkey Man" while fighting at the underground boxing facility. 

One of my favorite parts about the film was its combat and action sequences. A particular scene that stood out to me was a battle between our hero and Rana Singh, one of the movie's primary antagonists, in a lavish nightclub bathroom. The duel has many creative and zany moments between the two combatants, such as the destruction of a fish tank and the fight to retrieve a gun from a toilet bowl. 

Another entertaining sequence was a police chase through the streets where our lead evades authorities in a supercharged tuk-tuk. The scene features a perfect blend of comedy and suspense that ends surprisingly. 

One thing that caught me off guard was the comedic moments throughout the film. Despite the rather solemn storyline, there are a few jokes that you can't help but cackle at. Most of these come from Alphonso, a loveable side character who aids our protagonist during his escapades. 

However, the movie is far from a comedy, with certain scenes that are difficult to watch. As I had briefly mentioned earlier, there are some graphic depictions of violence and murder that some might consider upsetting. There are also brief moments that portray sexual assault, which is uncomfortable for the viewer. I would not recommend the movie to those who struggle with such sensitive subject matter. 

My favorite aspect of the film would have to be its cinematography. Most scenes involve some element of clever camerawork and adequate tone-setting lighting. One of my favorite scenes from the movie was the depiction of a wallet passing from character to character through a changing scenery. As the wallet changes hands, the individual shots of the wallet alternate seamlessly, which is satisfying and fun for the audience to watch. 

In an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Patel shared his experiences on the creation of the film and its inspiration. 

"I just wanted to create the film that young Dev always wanted to see," said Patel. 

During the interview, Patel also described his love for action movies and the desire he had for his character's portrayal to be reminiscent of his hero, Bruce Lee. 

Overall, I would recommend "Monkey Man" to anyone wanting to watch a dazzling thriller that adds a few twists to the action genre. While I have admittedly not watched many action films in total, "Monkey Man" still ranks as one of my favorites. I will definitely be giving the movie a rewatch and would strongly advise others to do the same.

At a Glance:

Monkey Man Starring: Dev Patel, Pitobash Tripathy, Sharlto Copley Summary: A man’s revenge mission against the powerful men that killed his mother Rated: R - contains adult material Showing at: AMC in Corvallis Distributor: Universal Pictures Rating: 4.25/5