It’s been a while since Dev Patel had his breakout roles in 2007’s Skins and 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, but he has grown as an actor over the years, starring in movies such as 2015’s Chappie and 2021’s The Green Knight. Now, the actor is dipping his toes into the art of directing with Monkey Man, which he also co-wrote and is starring in. How good is Dev Patel’s directorial debut, or should he just go back to solely acting? Read on to find out.

Monkey See

At first glance, Monkey Man may seem to be about a man who wears a monkey mask and fights crime as a vigilante in a superhero movie. Alas, it is not. Dev Patel’s Monkey Man is an action thriller revenge story, sort of like John Wick but set in India. What’s funny is that Dev Patel himself seems to realize this, as there’s even a meta John Wick joke in the movie as an easter egg. There are some good ideas in Monkey Man, but ultimately it falls into being just another standard John Wick-like movie, with a protagonist who’s haunted by a traumatic past and wants to seek revenge against those who caused him pain.

Why is the title of the movie, Monkey Man? Well, I can explain without spoiling the movie. In Monkey Man, Dev Patel plays the protagonist (who doesn’t have a name) and he spends his time fighting in illegal underground fights to earn a living. His in-ring persona is that of a Monkey Man, as he wears a monkey mask while fighting.

Unfortunately, that’s pretty much it. Despite the movie’s title being Monkey Man, the ‘monkey’ theme doesn’t feel crucial or essential to the movie as a whole. The only reason for the movie being called Monkey Man is the protagonist’s ties to the story of Hanuman, the monkey god in Hindu mythology. Again, I can’t spoil the specifics but it’s disappointing how the movie doesn’t go deep enough or integrate these unique traits into the movie. Most of all, I was disappointed with how little a movie called Monkey Man delves into monkey-related themes and I wish the movie did more with the ‘Monkey Man’ theme. If you remove that, Monkey Man really does just feel like another conventional action movie.

However, Monkey Man does excel in some other areas. The movie isn’t afraid to explore the dichotomy and disparity between the poor and the rich/elite classes in India and show how elements of that can contribute to the rise of extremism/fanaticism, which eerily mirrors real events happening in India and other parts of the world right now (cough Malaysia cough). Also, Monkey Man is an ‘action’ movie, so what about the action? The good thing about the fights and action scenes in Monkey Man is that they can be bone-crunchingly satisfying to watch and there’s a focus on melee combat instead of guns or shootouts, which is another plus. That being said, the fighting and choreography can be messy and all over the place because of the close-ups and shaky cam, but they’re not that big of a distraction or issue and it’s all still a commendable effort by Dev Patel and his team.

As for the cast, Dev Patel definitely looks the part of an action hero, with him arguably being the fittest he’s ever been (at least that I’ve seen), and his performance is great, which is unsurprising considering his acting chops. The rest of the cast largely consists of Indian actors and they’re also generally good. For some reason, Sharlto Copley (you might know him from District 9 or as the voice of Chappie) is also in this movie and he’s always fun. Monkey Man is around two hours long and the pacing is fine for the most part, but it drags a little in the middle (cough training montage cough) and most of the action isn’t as evenly spaced out throughout its runtime compared to something like John Wick.

Monkey Do

Ultimately, Monkey Man is what it is; an action revenge movie with a sprinkle of Indian spice and flavour. The movie could have been more memorable or impactful if it leaned more into its ‘Monkey Man’ theme but if you’re here for some good action scenes that are satisfying to watch, Monkey Man will satisfy that craving.

All in all, it’s a good first effort for Dev Patel in his directorial debut and I look forward to seeing more from him in the future.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

We attended a press screening of Monkey Man courtesy of United International Pictures Malaysia. Monkey Man is now showing in Malaysian cinemas.