Ain't Got Time For No Monkey Business

The journey Monkey Man has taken to get the big screen sounds almost as arduous as the revenge quest its title character embarks upon. About to lose funding due to the pandemic, director/writer/star Dev Patel was able to find a hotel on a small Indonesian island that could house the cast and crew. Not being able to bring in new personnel or equipment the story of making the film is one of cameras dangling from string, tables being glued back together so they can be smashed multiple times and crew members standing in for extras. Not to mention Patel himself breaking his hand during filming. Once completed it sat on a shelf with backers Netflix nervous to release it on their platform due to the movies scathing attitude towards right wing Indian politics. Enter Jordan Peele and his Monkey Paw productions who scooped the project up to give it the cinema release it deserves.

The story begins with Patel's unnamed character scraping a living by taking beatings in an underground fight club while trying to find an in at a notorious club frequented by unsavoury high rollers. He wants his foot in the door so he can begin his quest for revenge against the people who destroyed his childhood community.

While Monkey Man is an action revenge movie it isn't your standard John Wick wannabe (although Reeves suit wearing death dealer is mentioned). For starters it spends a lot longer in getting the action started, spending a fairly lengthy first act establishing character and setting pieces on the board. The main character is also more raw and real, sure he kicks unfathomable amounts of ass but he's also fallible and fails, looking all the more a hero as he dusts himself off and goes again. The real difference though is in the genuine anger on display, not just in Patel's onscreen pain but radiating from behind the camera. There is a sense of real hatred toward abuse of power, social disparity and the miss treatment of the marginalised. The Hijira (intersex\transgender communities) are not only present but are vital to the story and taking part in one of the best fight sequences. Meanwhile the villains of the piece are phoney guru labour exploiters, hardline politicians and corrupt cops. The strong moustachioed policeman archetype so often the hero in Bollywood stories is here a primary antagonist, a sneering and self-serving abuser of power. The film has yet to secure a release date in India.

In terms of action, Monkey Man is up there with the best of the genre, with bone crunching and inventive throw downs. We see our vigilante lead buy and practice using a gun but firearms don't really play a part once the touch paper is lit. Instead he grabs whatever is at hand as he punches, stabs and bludgeons his way through whoever gets in his face. Despite being a for real world championship medalist in taekwondo Patel says he had to make his own action movie as he would only ever be cast as the nerdy best friend otherwise. Turns out he's a natural action star, looking suave in a suit, chiseled out of stone underneath and flawlessly selling both dishing out and taking a beating. Hollywood has been missing out.

There are a couple of rough edges on display. The constantly moving camera puts the audience in the middle of the action but may be a bit much too frenetic for some people's taste. It's also a fairly grim movie, the past that haunts our hero is truly horrific and the moments of triumph are more vindication than exuberance. That said there are some light hearted scenes and funny characters on hand to lighten the mood.

Overall, Monkey Man is a hell of calling card for both a new action action star and exciting new director who just so happen to be the same person. Just don't come in expecting a breezy action caper.

8 Hindu legends out of 10 men in monkey masks.

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