Monkey Man

I think the comparison of Monkey Man and John Wick is not so correct. Sure.......both are revenge story. But both are conceived quite differently. John Wick delved into the universe of hitmen, while Monkey Man is a straight and dirty action thriller. It's actually a "superhero" movie after Indick. One of the big pluses is the atmosphere and setting. The movie is really Indian and not a US movie set in India. The approach to the story is related to this. The film starts off sharp and tries to keep it up for the entire footage. I also have to praise the action sequences. It is not a revolution, but they are filmed excellently and relatively raw. The main character is likable and relatable. Of course, the film is not perfect and anyone could argue that it is a fairly standard story about revenge. And it is so........... but it is done differently and brilliantly. A beautiful 8.5/10 for me.

"Only God can forgive you now"

Man. What a wild ride. Violent, fast paced yet beautifully shot. Great effort by Dev Patel on his directorial debut. He has managed to create a worthwhile action film with some great set pieces, neck, breaking stunts and an overall good looking film.

I think what triumphs the most is the fast pace, headache inducing editing (this is a positive) with some great colour schemes and set pieces. It's fast paced editing matched the chaotic streets of India, mixed with its rich culture and history.

The soundtrack was reminiscent of John Wick, with it's party scenes and colour palette. There was some great cinematography, especially through its use of silhouettes towards the final act.

You can see the directors, aim to portray the monkey man, as a legendary figure who supports the powerless, and the impoverished of India's lower class. He makes a stand against those who are in control, which is a great pairing for an action/revenge film.

I will say that the second act does falter a bit in its speed and does drag down in some places however, it quickly picks up pace again in the last act where monkey man turns into a proper beast.

You can see the message the director portrayed as he highlights the inequality surrounding the poor in India and uses this medium to show that there is hope and people willing to make a stand against those who are in control.

All in all a decent action film with great choreography, stunts, soundtrack and editing. This is an enjoyable watch, but doesn't elevate much further than your standard action flick.

All praise for Indian John Wick!

Monkey Man is a watchable action flick that lacks depth in its storytelling. Set in India, the narrative revolves around religious beliefs and addresses issues surrounding godmen and their false prophecies. While the action sequences are brilliantly choreographed and a treat for action movie lovers, the story fails to delve deeply into the themes it touches on.

As a result, I couldn't emotionally connect with the main character, played by Dev Patel. The plot ultimately feels like a typical revenge tale. Although the filmmakers seem to draw inspiration from John Wick, they fall short of fully replicating its impact.

That said, I appreciate how the movie highlights significant issues, such as the exploitation of religious beliefs by godmen, the politics around them, the land encroachment affecting the poor, and other social concerns. The visuals are stunning, and Dev Patel delivers a commendable performance, though there's little scope for other actors to shine.

On the bright side, the movie is engaging from start to finish without any lags. Overall, it's a decent one-time watch for action enthusiasts.

If you had told me a year ago that Dev Patel would play India's answer to John Wick, I would have thought you were crazy, but here we are with Monkey Man, in which the actor directs himself as a man determined to take revenge on the people who murdered his mother and stole their land.

The film features plenty of brutal fight action - a mix of gun play and hand to hand combat - but Patel succumbs to that irritating trend - shaky cam with rapid editing; I'm sure this technique hides a multitude of sins, but it always feels a bit like a cop out to me and makes it rather difficult to follow the action. Monkey Man also suffers from erratic pacing, with lulls in the action that go on for a tad too long. If Patel had had the confidence to shoot his fight scenes in a less chaotic manner and had kept the pace more consistent, I think the film would have been better for it.

That said, I didn't dislike the movie as a whole - Patel does well in his role as avenging angel and the level of violence is impressive. I definitely had far more fun with Monkey Man than either of the other two big screen releases I have seen recently: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla x Kong, both of which were hugely disappointing.

Got to see an early screening of Monkey Man. I had good expectations going off the trailer and they were met and beyond.

The film starts off well and builds momentum for a decent revenge arc although it is hard to follow sometimes. The shakey camera work contributes to this as well as the dialogue not being particularly clear.

However what takes this film from good to great is the final third. The music, the action, the violence, it was just so incredibly well done especially for first time director. I couldn't take my eyes off it and didn't know what to expect next.

Thank you Jordan peele for saving this from streaming as this deserves to be seen on the big screen!