Dev Patel clearly knew the comparisons to “John Wick” would be inescapable.
Thus, “Monkey Man,” his violent tale of a young man hell-bent on vengeance — inspired as much as anything, Patel says, by Korean action cinema — wisely namedrops the hit action flick starring Keanu Reeves that, to date, has spawned three sequels and a spin-off series.
Heck, there’s even a cute dog. (Don’t worry. It lives.)
Patel makes a highly impressive debut as a director with “Monkey Man,” a film in which he also stars, serves as a producer and co-wrote. He also gets the lone story-by credit.
“Monkey Man” feels only so much like “Wick,” at least until its bloody, turn-your-head-at-times final act. If not quite grounded in reality, this film is based in something closer to it than what the “Wick”-verse has come to offer.
Plus, being set in modernized India — Batam, Indonesia, stood in for an Indian city during the film’s principal photography — and the incorporation of the Hindu deity Hanuman helps make “Monkey Man” more interesting from a cultural perspective.
We are introduced to Patel’s character, Kid, when he is a boy, being told stories of Hanuman by his loving mother, Neela (Adithi Kalkunte). We then cut to present day, as Kid — wearing a monkey mask as an homage to Hanuman — competes at an underground fight club run by the sleazy Tiger (a fun-as-always Sharlto Copley) to make ends meet. At this point in the story, Kid is a good enough fighter to put on a good show before taking a fall for some extra cash. (There’s even a “bleed bonus.”)
Sharlto Copley portrays Tiger in a scene from “Monkey Man.” (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Kid has his eyes on a different gig, any job within King’s Club, a high-end brothel. He gets his wish after a carefully orchestrated encounter with the ruthless, chain-smoking woman who runs it, Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar). To execute his secret plan, he must get promoted and gain access to the VIP areas, so he befriends glorified gofer Alphonso (a consistently entertaining Pitobash) and soon is serving drinks to powerful men.
And, oh boy, Kid does not like when those men lay their hands on the women the club employs to entertain them — especially the beautiful Sita (Sobhita Dhulipala).
Sobhita Dhulipala, center, portrays Sita in “Monkey Man.” (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
However, he works to keep his eyes on the prize: corrupt police officer Rana (Sikandar Kher). (The reason Kid wants revenge on this man will become clear, as will the origin of the scars that cover our hero’s hands.)
When Kid moves against Rana — in a bathroom complete with a large aquarium — he meets more resistance than he’d bargained for and must run for his life.
To this point, Patel exhibits confident and skilled direction, “Monkey Man” boasting the kind of unusual camera angles and quick cuts — courtesy of director of photography Sharone Meir and editor David Jancso, respectively — that quickly could become exhausting if not handled so deftly.
All in all, this first act is downright stunning.
With the second, Patel over-course-corrects, giving the viewer a much-needed break from the action — especially considering what’s to come — as Kid heals among a group of people led by the wise Alpha (Vipin Sharma). It’s all a tad too snoozy, though — at least until the recovered Kid begins the obligatory training for the fight to come and is given tempo backing by an enthusiastic percussionist. (Hey, we think what we’re calling “bongo boxing” could catch on.)
Dev Patel’s Kid recovers from the initial battle in a scene from “Monkey Man.” (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
The final chapter of “Monkey Man” delivers the high body count for which we’d been waiting. As nifty (and disturbing) as many of the mini sequences are, “Monkey Man” becomes a bit numbing in the way similar action movies can.
In front of the camera, Patel is a compelling lead, which is no surprise given past films such as “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (2011) or “Lion” (2016). However, Kid is a far cry from the gentle souls he played in those films. He is out to conflict pain and suffering on those he believes deserve it, and Patel sells it convincingly, down to the muscle he added at some point.
Dev Patel’s Kid channels the path on his quest for vengeance in “Monkey Man.” (Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Originally, “Monkey Man” was bound for a streaming platform, before gaining the attention of Monkeypaw Productions, the company founded by filmmaker Jordan Peele (“Get Out,” “Nope”), and shifting to a theatrical release. This is a film worthy of a big screen.
And given its strengths, it’s more than worthy of a follow-up. That said, there’s something at least a little special about this one, and we wouldn’t mind if it doesn’t lead to, say, three more movies and a TV series.
‘Monkey Man’
Where: Theaters.
When: April 5.
Rated: R for strong bloody violence throughout, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug use.
Runtime: 2 hours, 2 minutes.
Stars (of four): 3.