★★★★
Dev Patel's emotionally fueled and violent directorial debut, Monkey Man, unleashes his intensity behind and in front of the camera. Not every punch lands, but it's hard not to be impressed by his commitment. This is a gritty, angry, and straight-up action flick that swings for the fences. Patel being on all sides of the camera is obviously impressive, but especially in how Monkey Man doesn't just feel like a John Wick clone but actually has its own energy (honestly feels more like a Kill Bill to me). Definitely room to grow, but Patel is really gifted at crafting kinetic images. You feel the violence. Monkey Man is a rocking debut from Dev Patel, a visceral and politically muddled actioner (and therefore true to much Hong Kong action) that breaks bones, noses, and fingers one crisply lit space at a time. Peaks early and has a few pacing issues, and I wish I could see more of the hits, but this was good!
The worst thing that can happen to a good movie is festival hyperbole. When Monkey Man is seen as a fun Saturday Night Action Movie made by a first-timer it's a roaring success. When compared to the best of Wick, it falters. Some are holding it to a weirdly high standard, just let it excel on its own without the comparison! It’s a very solid directorial debut — it’s incredible what Patel was able to pull off with such a low budget and I can’t wait to see what he does next!
:Film Info
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