Monkey Man *****

Starring : Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Sobhita Dhuilipala, Sikhandar Kher, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalesekar, Adithi Kalkunte and Makarand Deshpande

Director : Dev Patel

Duration Running Time : (approx) 2 Hours 1 Minute (121 Mins)

Certification Rating Certificate : 18

Distribution : Universal Pictures UK (A Comcast Company), Bron Studios, Thunder Road Films, Monkeypaw Productions, Lost Winds Entertainment, Lucky Elephant Media, Minor Realm, S' Ya Concept, WME Independent, Creative Wealth Media Finance

On October 29, 2018, six years ago, it was announced that Dev Patel, a British actor whose cinematic arrival breakthrough came in 2008, as Jamal Malik, a teenager living in the slums of Mumbai, India in 'SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE', a drama directed by Danny Boyle, this in question, is in fact, a loose adaptation of the novel 'Q & A' (originally published in 1995) by Vikas Swarup, an Indian author, the result of this won Patel many awards for his dynamic performance - and over the many years of his film career has appeared in movies such as 'THE BEST MARIGOLD HOTEL' (2012) and also ' THE SECOND BEST MARIGOLD HOTEL' - the sequel (2015) - both of which were directed by John Madden, and featured many stars such as Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.

But now in 2024, that Patel, in question, shows us a new talent, by becoming the sort of an action star that he really wants to be - that in 'MONKEY MAN' - Patel not only stars, but also produces, directs and also writes, - for this is after all classed as 'his directorial debut' that's described as a 'midnight thrill of a film -full of elements involving features of a dark and also a violent look of a movie - and also like many debut features from a film director in question - this demonstrates a unique lifeline in cinephila - by simply offering a unique direct 'shout-out' to 'JOHN WICK' (2014), featuring Keanu Reeves, star of 'THE MATRIX' as Wick, a legendary hitman who 'comes out of retirement' basically to seek revenge - against the men who killed his dog - this in question - was in fact - 'a final gift' - from his 'recently deceased wife', but also tracing back to the origins too, through the histories including the cinema involving Indonesian, Korean, Indian and also Hong Kong action movies ( just think about the following : 'OLDBOY', 'THE RAID', 'KOLYA' and also 'ENTER THE DRAGON' featuring Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Bob Wall and Jim Kelly - this was Lee's final completed film appearance before his 'passing' on July 20, 1973, aged 32 - however a month later - August 19, 1973, - the film in question premiered in Los Angeles).

The film in question begins with just a simple story - ( just think of it as John Wick meets John Inman - his character as Mr Humphries had appeared in 'ARE YOU BEING SERVED' ? - this was a sitcom shown on British TV, and created by David Croft who also served as executive producer and also director plus Jeremy Lloyd - between 1972-1985 - thirteen years - comprising of ten seasons and also seventy episodes - the format was set in London and follows the misadventures and mishaps of the staff - and their regular rotating series of customers - situated at the retail ladies and gents clothing departments - in a flagship department store called Grace Brothers - which - by the way - is a fictional department store - exclusively shown on TV - however in its day - the show in question - was an instant success - complete with innuendo references which you could get away with - however with the society of today - the show in question would have many re-runs - meaning that dated innuendo references advertised would be classed as not only offensive - at the time - but would be classed as 'Political Correctness - 'PC' has gone mad ) and that Patel in question portrays a character of a young man with no name - known as 'THE KID' and lives in a fictional Indian city who goes on a crusade - by searching for the man who murdered his mother.

So what happens next - you may well ask ? - Well, 'The Kid' then goes on a rampage through the fictional city - as he plummels to seek his revenge - and also stabs his way to the guilty party - notably Rana Singh, (Kher), - the Chief of Police, - and then works his way - throughout the movie, which by the way is over 'two hours plus long' - by stabbing that guy's boss, Baba Shakti, (Deshpande), who's affectionally known as a religious leader - complete with a political ambitions - to be the best.

However, The Kid, in question, hasn't finished his unique quest - and is only just getting started - and by now is craving for a unique payback, simply by infiltrating the criminal mastermind and also biding his time - ''as you do'' - and that he's also earning his cash 'on the side' - by wearing - 'a monkey mask' fighter competing at 'bare-knuckle' bouts that's run by a unique character called Tiger (Copley), that's described as a 'leering master of ceremonies' - 'MC' - but also that The Kid in question is in fact dreaming of the time -when he will rain down - a terrible vengeance on his perpetrators.

Brahim Chab's impressive fight choreography evens out the blunt-force brutality complete with a dash of morbid humour - and that Patel's character of The Kid in question does in fact use a knife with his mouth -while his chivalric attitude towards the women reaches its apex - by way of viciously battering up one of the bad guys, however Sharone Meir - the cinematographer lends the city an intimacy and also enriches the many fights that are contained in this - with a new kind of electricity - for this is a film that's contained with sheer violence - and also relishes the details - such as the milk that's poured delicately into a teacup; and also that the grooves are in fact carved deep into the scarred hands of The Kid.

Now, Patel, who has co-written the screenplay in question with John Collie and also Paul Angulawela, has in fact thoughtfully considered his place within the genre - and that he has also smartly and also considerably correctly has recognised his type as the 'philosopher-poet' called reluctantly to violence - an energy that's embodied by the likes of Keanu Reeves and also Patrick Swayze before him.

Also just for the record both Swayze and Reeves starred in 'POINT BREAK' (the original) released back in 1991 - the film directed by Kathryn Ann Bigelow - was an American crime film -and that the film's title refers to the 'SURFING TERM' - ''POINT BREAK'' - where a 'wave' simply breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the original coastline - but also that the film in question features Reeves as Johnny Utah, an FBI agent, who is tasked with investigating the identities of a group of bank robbers 'nicked-named' - 'THE EX-PRESIDENTS' - these bank robbers - in question - wear rubber masks containing the likes of Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Richard Milhaus Nixon and also Lyndon B.Johnson, while Utah, in question develops a complex relationship with Bodhi -'Bodisatthva' Swayze .

Also just for the record 'POINT BREAK' was remade in 2015, and directed by Ericson Core - who also shot the film as a cinematographer as well - the remake featured Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Delroy Lindo and also Ray Winstone who rose to prominence starring as Will Scarlet in the TV series 'ROBIN OF SHERWOOD' (1984-1986 - 'two years), and was also featured in 'TWO BRITISH INDEPENDENT MOVIES' - notably 'SCUM' (1979), a British prison drama, directed by Alan Clarke and also 'QUADROPHENIA' (also 1979), this was classed as a British Drama film based on 'The Who's 'rock opera' originally performed back in 1973, and also directed by Franc Rodham - although this isn't classed as a musical - and also that the band (Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Pete Townshend and also Keith Moon) did not appear in the film - but also that Winstone, in question, has a reputation of becoming 'a hard man' - this is due to the fact that he has a distinctive London accent - and that Winstone, in question has worked with Martin Scorsese when he starred as 'Frenchie' in 'THE DEPARTED' (2006), this is in fact 'A REMAKE' of 'INFERNAL AFFAIRS' (2002), and is also regarded as 'THE CHINESE VERSION' of 'THE GODFATHER' (1972).

Incidentally in 2010, Bigelow, in question, became 'THE FIRST WOMAN EVER' - to receive 'AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR' for 'THE HURT LOCKER' (2008) -also 'TIME' magazine in 2010, - that same year - named her as 'ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE' - in the world.

However, 'MONKEY MAN', in question, is in fact also rooted in the question of faith itself - how it can empower the individual - and also be wielded as well - like a weapon - by the institution - because the character of Kid was in fact raised on his mother's stories of Hanuman - 'THE MONKEY GOD' - whose divine punishment had endowed him with immense power.

But then he finds allies that are located within the marginalised trans and also the intersex community - which is in fact legally recognised in India - as a ''THIRD GENDER'' - who are in fact specifically targeted by Shakri's 'fictionalised' Hindu nationalist party who drives out the farmers in question out of their homes and also to seize their lands that are under the pretexts and also that they're actually holy sites, but then Alpha, (Sharma), a priestess for the deity Ardhanarishvara (this is classed as a half-male, half-female, composite of the god Shiva, the creator and also the destroyer, and his consort Parvati ) opens up Kid's eyes to the community, that the faith can not only foster, and that its stories in question are shared through the art, puppetry and also the music within.

So the film in question builds around its gleefully heart of a genre play that’s wrapped around a steely political heart of around 100% worth of pure quality gold, but also that this movie made it purely of logical interest to Jordan Peele, a film producer who directed movies such as ‘GET OUT’, ‘US’, and also ‘NOPE’, - and that it seems that ‘Monkeypaw Productions’ - his production film company - had in fact picked up the movie - and also wrestling it away from ‘NETFLIX’ - a streaming service company that was originally not shown in movie theatres and therefore the film in question was only going exclusively straight to streaming - but that at the end of the day that this turned out to be a smart call and that the film in question was finally shown in movie theatres throughout and where it deserves to be seen for the full on ‘no holds barred’ movie going experience

This is without doubt a unique masterpiece of a movie that’s full of action and also the violence from a directorial debut from Dev Patel.

Don’t Miss it !

David M.G.Mitchell