Starring Dev Patel in his directorial debut from a story he developed, Monkey Man follows Kid (Patel), a young man who sets out on a journey of vengeance against those responsible of his mother’s death. During his journey, he ends up becoming the savior of the poor and powerless people, who are tormented by the very same people he is hunting down.

It’s actually crazy how underrated Dev Patel is. I have been very familiar with work as an actor before this, so to have him also direct a film that he is a lead actor in certainly intrigued me. From seeing him getting a standing ovation at the world premiere to knowing that Jordan Peele is the reason why it’s getting a theatrical release, I hope this gives Patel the confidence to direct more, because what this film went through in its production is wild. Its journey from when it was announced in 2018 to Patel breaking his hand in the first action sequence to the film almost being released on Netflix feels like a heroes journey of sorts for the actor, because this is quite literally a perfect film in my eyes.

The way the film starts is very unorthodox and unusual for a movie with a plot synopsis like this. If you didn’t know what the plot was, you would have a tough time what’s going on in the first 30 minutes. This works out for viewers familiar or unfamiliar with the plot. Since I already knew quite a bit about the plot, I figured the film would tackle the setup later on. If I didn’t know, I would say that the film takes a different approach to the revenge action film and offers more intrigue to what’s going on. The common throughline for this approach is that it gives the viewer something new to understand if they were to ever rewatch it. From that perspective, I could really respect that choice. It was unexpected, but it needed to happen to ensure originality.

From start to finish, the film has an incredible pace to it. Even when things are slower, it still feels like its moving fast. The editing in these slower moments even knows how to cut back and forth to set the tone perfectly. As for the more intense, action scenes, I don’t think I could ever emphasize how amazing these sequences are. I grew up on action films – I am even a fan of The Raid films, but I know what I want from action and I am specific with what I want. I enjoy an action film that is authentic with how it is portrayed, while also developed a really good story. This film did not only achieve that, but it felt like it was a movie made just for me.

By the time the first big action sequence comes, it goes hard. Just as Patel’s character is about to follow through with his vengeance, his lack of experience gets the better of him, resulting in everything going terribly wrong, yet he still manages to overcome. This first big action sequence does not stop. Just as you think he is about to get out of the situation, something else happens, sometimes its even worse. There are really two big action sequences that feel like they never stop. I am not sure if that may worry viewers for a film that’s already shy of two hours. I can ensure you that between the story and pacing, the action more than makes up for it. My entire theater was consistently in awe and shock from what appeared on screen.

Aside from the scenes mentioned, Patel takes an arthouse approach with telling this story. When we introduced to his character and story, we are trying to figure out what’s make him do all of this. We, as an audience, are confused, because he’s not letting himself be open and vulnerable. About halfway through the film, there’s a sequence where it looks like his character is literally opening up his chest. This is when we finally learn his backstory. This whole approach has a arthouse-type feel. When he finally lets himself be open and honest about who he is is when he is finally able to get better and be his best self. Patel ends up understanding how to mix arthouse with modern action and turning into a masterpiece.

As for the issues I had on first glance, the final product made me appreciate it a lot more. The issues I initially had had to do with the characterization of the side characters. There’s a girl about the same age as Patel’s character who you don’t quite understand the purpose of. At first, she seems like a love interest, but nothing happens. Instead, I believe she was placed to show how Patel was with the man who killed his mother. To see him with another woman that he could connect with clouded him with anger.

Then, there is also another side character that is somewhat involved with Patel’s character. This side character ends up tagging along with him at one point during a high-speed car chase. When their vehicle ends up getting damaged, we only see what happened to Patel as he is taken away. We never see what happened to the other guy. Instead, the next time we see this guy is a random place where he is watching the news where it is explained that he is also being hunted. We see him again a bit later on, but it’s never explained what was happening to him. Then, I realized that this film isn’t about these character. This is 100% about Patel and the side characters are meant to support him.

From a technical perspective, the film is consistently at an all-time high. The chorography is at the top of its game. Patel wasn’t kidding what he said that he wanted to give this film a real soul. The music is amazing and perfectly matches the tone of the film. The cinematography manages to capture every bone-crunching moment, but also knows how to present meaning in its slower moments. With how bad production went at times, I hope the end result shows Patel that his hard work is worth it.

Overall, Monkey Man was everything that I needed it to be, but I can also recognize that not every single element may work. While there are some unique things that happen throughout that made me question the quality, this highly-stylized action film offers more thoughts in order to make it stand out on its own. I am eagerly waiting to see this again.

VERDICT: Perfect