Released to theaters on April 5th, 2024, Monkey Man is director Dev Patel’s debut film. The bloody thriller movie is a revenge story following an unnamed man (Dev Patel) on a quest to kill the corrupt elites of India.
In the first weekend of its release, the film grossed $10.1 million. It already made above its budget of $10 million. The movie currently sits at a Rotten Tomato score of 88 percent and an audience approval rating of 83 percent.
About the story
The film begins with the main character’s mother Neela (Adithi Kalkunte) telling the story of Hanuman, a deity in Hinduism. Throughout the film, the main character’s journey parallels the adventures of the deity.
The main character fights in an underground boxing ring for scraps of cash. He wants to change his brutal life as he sets his plans for revenge into motion.
The main character becomes a high-ranking staff at an exclusive dining place where he can locate his mother’s killer and end him.
Why you should watch it
Monkey Man is a wild thrill ride. The film’s beginning sets up the main character’s arc from a pushover to a lethal assassin. The latter half of the film then capitalizes on the setup, being almost nonstop action.
Similar to the John Wick action film series, Monkey Man has brutally violent visuals, focusing on the main character’s deadly use of a variety of weapons.
The start of the film suspends the viewer in mystery as the viewer slowly uncovers the main character’s motivations and target as the movie progresses Extensive use of close-up shots to highlight the gore and intensify the sensations that the main character feels as the viewer lives through his violent past.
Overall, Monkey Man is highly recommended and a great action film to watch. It can be found in most theaters such as Regal, Livermore 13, and THE LOT City Center.
