Monkey Man wouldn't have caught my eye right away under normal circumstances but I thought it had a banger of a trailer. Part of what makes the film enjoyable is the setting and it's a key ingredient in Monkey Man's success. The movie presents India in both its glory and its less than photogenic aspects which also gives the movie a lot of flavour. I don't think they could have set it just wherever, there's so much baked in culturally but it's to the movie's benefit. Whether Kid and Alphonso are racing around the busy streets, Kid's hopping between rooftops or Kid's spending time out in the wilderness, Monkey Man effectively transports you into this world and despite the stark contrast between the beautiful and the less-than-presentable, I didn't want to miss a moment.
Dev Patel deserves a lot of credit as the writer/director of the project but where he actually impressed me the most in Monkey Man was how seamlessly he fit in the the action hero role. He's great as Kid, he's appropriately stoic and steely but the character's bloodlust and determination comes through in his intense glare. I've seen his work here and there and while I would have described him as a good actor, I didn't know he had this kind of performance in him. Apparently making this movie was quite the journey for him and I think you can see that in his work. The movie is centred around Dev Patel but the supporting cast is also up to the task. Pitobash has a couple of funny moments as Alphonso, Sikandar Kher is very menacing and appropriately villainous and Vipin Sharma gives the movie some depth and a sympathetic angle. I also thought Sobhita Dhulipala did a lot with only a little screen time, she's beautiful and I respected the choice that the movie didn't force a romance between her character Sita and Kid. I'm a fan of Sharlto Copley and he's so well cast as the slimy and duplicitous Tiger. He could have done this part in his sleep.
The action in Monkey Man is more of the gritty variety than the grandiose and it largely serves it well. There's copious amounts of violent kills and it's well captured by Patel and his team. There's plenty of venues, they utilize everything at their disposal and it's all presented in a stylish manner. I was bobbing and weaving in my seat and wincing occasionally when something brutal connected. My only note is that some critics complained of too many cuts during the fights and it also caught my eye a few times. It didn't detract from the experience too heavily but it was noticeable in a couple of scenes.
It seems odd that my biggest complaint would be that I wanted "more" of Monkey Man but the only thing that I really noticed was that I wanted a little more context on some of the smaller plot threads. The evacuation of the village and the slaughtering of the villagers is horrifying but we aren't given much about the larger picture. Also, while the training in the monastery is a stylish and fun way to punch up the training montage, I wanted a little more time with the residents of the temple as well. Their background as fighters is mentioned but not explained thoroughly and the film could have used even more of that as there's a twist with it later.
Monkey Man delivers what you want from the acting, the setting and the stakes in a stylish way and within a fresh setting. It can't escape all the cliches and there were some things that could have used a little more fleshing out but I think it looks even better when compared against other action genre pictures we've seen this year (Argylle, The Beekeeper etc.). I applaud Dev Patel, Jordan Peele and his team for rescuing it and I thank them for bringing it to theatre screens. Monkey Man would grade out between an 8-9 for me but I'm rounding down in this case because it's closer to an 8. I'd definitely recommend it though, it's the kind of movie that should be supported if you're a fan of the genre. You've seen elements of this before but not packaged together like this and it was worth a trip to the theatre in my opinion.
Dev Patel deserves a lot of credit as the writer/director of the project but where he actually impressed me the most in Monkey Man was how seamlessly he fit in the the action hero role. He's great as Kid, he's appropriately stoic and steely but the character's bloodlust and determination comes through in his intense glare. I've seen his work here and there and while I would have described him as a good actor, I didn't know he had this kind of performance in him. Apparently making this movie was quite the journey for him and I think you can see that in his work. The movie is centred around Dev Patel but the supporting cast is also up to the task. Pitobash has a couple of funny moments as Alphonso, Sikandar Kher is very menacing and appropriately villainous and Vipin Sharma gives the movie some depth and a sympathetic angle. I also thought Sobhita Dhulipala did a lot with only a little screen time, she's beautiful and I respected the choice that the movie didn't force a romance between her character Sita and Kid. I'm a fan of Sharlto Copley and he's so well cast as the slimy and duplicitous Tiger. He could have done this part in his sleep.
The action in Monkey Man is more of the gritty variety than the grandiose and it largely serves it well. There's copious amounts of violent kills and it's well captured by Patel and his team. There's plenty of venues, they utilize everything at their disposal and it's all presented in a stylish manner. I was bobbing and weaving in my seat and wincing occasionally when something brutal connected. My only note is that some critics complained of too many cuts during the fights and it also caught my eye a few times. It didn't detract from the experience too heavily but it was noticeable in a couple of scenes.
It seems odd that my biggest complaint would be that I wanted "more" of Monkey Man but the only thing that I really noticed was that I wanted a little more context on some of the smaller plot threads. The evacuation of the village and the slaughtering of the villagers is horrifying but we aren't given much about the larger picture. Also, while the training in the monastery is a stylish and fun way to punch up the training montage, I wanted a little more time with the residents of the temple as well. Their background as fighters is mentioned but not explained thoroughly and the film could have used even more of that as there's a twist with it later.
Monkey Man delivers what you want from the acting, the setting and the stakes in a stylish way and within a fresh setting. It can't escape all the cliches and there were some things that could have used a little more fleshing out but I think it looks even better when compared against other action genre pictures we've seen this year (Argylle, The Beekeeper etc.). I applaud Dev Patel, Jordan Peele and his team for rescuing it and I thank them for bringing it to theatre screens. Monkey Man would grade out between an 8-9 for me but I'm rounding down in this case because it's closer to an 8. I'd definitely recommend it though, it's the kind of movie that should be supported if you're a fan of the genre. You've seen elements of this before but not packaged together like this and it was worth a trip to the theatre in my opinion.