Dev Patel has crafted a remarkable achievement with his directorial debut “Monkey Man”. Not only did Patel star in and direct the film; but he also produced and helped to write it.
Patel stars as a downtrodden man who goes by “Bobby” and ekes out a life in the impoverished parts of India as an underground fighter who wears a Monkey mask in the ring.
Bobby often plays the Heel and takes a severe beating and has to deal with his shady boss Tiger (Sharlto Copley) for the money he has earned.
Bobby eventually uses his slum connections to get into an exclusive club where VIPs and illegal activities mingle and we learn that his goal is one of revenge against some powerful and corrupt figures and it is one that has been years in the making and has consumed his life.
While the film starts out slowly; the time is used to establish characters and the city where poverty and slums exist a short distance from excess and splendor and underscores how two different worlds and sets of laws exist for the characters.
The action is well staged and the film is amazingly shot and is not afraid to show the squalor with the glitz as darkly lit areas with neon occupy the scenery.
When the action hits full-speed in the final act; it is as brutal and intense as any film in the genre and the fact that Bobby is frequently injured in his journey shows that he is not some unstoppable machine.
From start to finish the film was an engaging film that blended in social commentary and action to create a unique and memorable film that deserves to be watched and heralds Patel as a multi-talented threat on the rise.
4 stars out of 5.
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