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Monkey Man Movie Review

Name: Monkey Man Movie Review
Item: Monkey Man
Rating: 2
Author: Pradip Bhat

Monkey Man Movie Review English Movie Review

Written by

Review for the film " Monkey Man"

Runtime: 02 Hour 01 Minute

Certificate: A

Released: 2024

Genre: Action, Thriller

Similar To: Ballerina (2024), Them That Follow, The Man With The Iron Heart, Zombies Vs. Robots

Critic Review
User Review

2 / 5.0

3.50 / 5.0

CAST & CREW

Adithi Kalkunte

Sharlto Copley

Sikandar Kher

Vipin Sharma

Zakir Hussain

Ashwini Kalsekar

Sobhita Dhulipala

Dev Patel

MORE CAST & CREW

Producer:

Bavand Karim

Music Director:

Jed Kurzel

Editor:

Tim Murrell

Director:

Dev Patel

Supporting Actress:

Ashwini Kalsekar

Sobhita Dhulipala

Art Director:

Ahmad Zulkarnaen

Director of Photography:

Sharone Meir

Supporting Actor:

Makrand Deshpande

Sikandar Kher

Sharlto Copley

Jatin Malik

Zakir Hussain

Vipin Sharma

Actor:

Dev Patel

Actress:

Adithi Kalkunte

Click Here For Full Cast & Crew

Monkey Man is an action drama written and directed by Dev Patel Dev Patel is a British actor, who saw his first gl >> Read More... . Paul Angunawela and John Collee have co written the script for this film. Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas Jomon Thomas John is famous Cinematographer mainly >> Read More... , Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfield and Ian Cooper have co produced this film. This film is distributed under the banner of Universal Pictures. Sharone Meir is the cinematographer of this film, while David Jancso and Tim Murrell are the editors of this film. This film has an ensemble cast of Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley Sharlto Copley was born on 27th November 1973, in >> Read More... , Pitobash Tripathy Pitobash Tripathy is an Indian film actor, best kn >> Read More... , Sikander Kher, Vipin Sharma Vipin Sharma was born in New Delhi. He is an actor >> Read More... , Sikandar Kher Sikandar Kher is an Indian Actor born in Lucknow, >> Read More... , Sobhita Dhulipala Sobhita Dhulipala is a renowned Indian model, beau >> Read More... , Ashwini Kalsekar Ashwini Kalsekar is an Indian actress who is very >> Read More... , Makarand Deshpande Makarand Deshpande is an Indian actor and director >> Read More... , etc. The film got a theatrical release on 5 April 2024.

Plot

In the fictional city of Yatana, Kid aka Bobby is a monkey masked fighter for an underground boxing club. He is searching for Baba Shakti, who is a wicked godman, and Rana, who is a corrupt police officer. Both had ruined his childhood. As Kid climbs up the social ladder, will he succeed in his quest for revenge?

Star Performances

The only two things that bind this movie somehow are Dev Patel and the cinematography.

They are the only two things that make this movie somehow watchable.

Analysis

Dev Patel is one of the rare Indian origin actors, who wants a refreshing change. He surprised many with his brilliant work in his ‘The Man who Knew Infinity’ and ‘ Lion Click to look into! >> Read More... ’. Does ‘Monkey Man’ mark his arrival in the big league?

‘Monkey Man’ is the directorial debut of Dev Patel, who shot to fame through ‘ Slumdog Millionaire Click to look into! >> Read More... ’. He would have been restricted to OTT, had Jordan Peele not decided to take the risk for the big screen release.

The story revolves around Kid, who is a forest dweller, and a devotee of Hanuman. He experiences a major tragedy, which forces him to choose an unconventional path of revenge. Will he win?

Since the movie is set in modern India, there are many questions: Is the experience worth it? Does the movie do justice to the subject? Is the action as slick and charming as that in ‘ John Wick Click to look into! >> Read More... ’?

The answer to these questions are both yes and no. In terms of action, ‘Monkey Man’ comes as a refreshing change. It has no room for compromise, and Dev Patel as the director has ensured that it stays that way. The visuals are also quite intriguing, and the sequences where Dev’s character embraces spirituality are also interesting.

However, everything goes for a toss when it comes to the main screenplay. The very first question that viewers will ask from the makers of ‘Monkey Man’: What is new here? Sadly, like most other western filmmakers, there is no attempt to remove the stereotypes associated with the depiction of India.

The same old rich vs poor theme, subtle jibes at nationalism [which had no connection with the plot], the weird color palette are only a fraction of what the makers have actually kept in store. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that ‘Monkey Man’ is just old wine in a new bottle. This was clearly not expected from someone like Dev, who has done way better movies than this in the past.

What’s There

The acting by Dev Patel
The camerawork of this movie
The action choreography in some places

What’s Not There

Clunky editing
Bizarre sequences that have no relevance to the plot
Not so impressive direction by Dev Patel
Same old stereotypes associated with every Hollywood film covering India
Subtle jibes that are far from subtle

Verdict

‘Monkey Man’ is a movie that deceived its audience very well. The acting and the visuals may have been good in parts, but the storyline of this movie is far from impressive. If you wished for a desi ‘John Wick’, you better stay away from this movie.

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