Monkey Man review: Dev Patel personifies the pent-up rage of India's underprivileged class
Ever since the first trailer of Dev Patel's maiden directorial venture and much awaited indie action thriller 'Monkey Man' was released, there has been a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding the film especially because of those snippets of some gory action set pieces from the trailer. And not only does it manage to live up to the expectations of some action film lovers by offering them gory, and expertly choreographed frantic action sequences, but the film also offers insight into the current socio-political status of India and how few capitalists and religious bigots are controlling the lives of India's underprivileged class and also robbing them of their basic human rights.
The film's trailer may mislead some viewers into believing that it's a gory fest of non-stop adrenaline-pumping action set pieces, but this is not the case. Of course there are some expertly choreographed frantic action set pieces but the film is not just about that. It's essentially the narrative of a man who is filled with resentment and wrath towards the capitalists and religious bigots who stole him (and many others) of their ancestral land. When he was a child, he witnessed his entire community being mercilessly massacred and his mother getting brutally murdered by a corrupt cop. These capitalists and corrupt and evil cops do not even see these poor folks as human beings. They don't even know the names of those they mercilessly murdered just to snatch away their ancestral land from them, only to offer it to a few capitalists.
This is Dev Patel's directorial debut, and he also co-wrote the film's screenplay. As viewers, we spend every moment with our protagonist, who is doing his best to devise a plan to avenge his mother's murder. Through his matter-of-fact world building and engaging portrayal as the primary protagonist, Dev Patel does an incredibly wonderful job of drawing you into the harsh, merciless world of India's underprivileged class.The opening hour of the movie hooks you in, as we watch our protagonist attempting to devise various ways to somehow gain access to the world of crème de la crème of the society who have stolen everything from him and ultimately quench his thirst for vengeance.
But the film loses its stem after an hour or so, especially when our protagonist's action lands him into some trouble and then he tries to rediscover his own hidden power or strength. That middle period of 20-25 minutes is quite generic and dull. And it doesn't offer anything new to the viewers as we don't find out anything new about the protagonist and the antagonists. Dev Patel and the film' co-writers Paul Angunawela and John Collee, somehow should have managed to be a little bit more inventive, and come up with some unique ideas instead of those generic sequences in the middle period, so that the film would have left much better emotional impact. There are many mythological references in the film, and most of them are quite obvious.
Another minor problem I had about the film is we don't find out much about these antagonists, except the fact that they are evil people. Makarand Deshpande plays the role of a vicious and demonic spiritual leader Baba Shakti, and while watching the film, you cannot shake off the feeling that something is amiss about this evil spiritual leader as he appears and disappears abruptly from the film. If you are unfamiliar with India's current sociopolitical situation, you may not have a clear understanding of his beliefs, whom he represents, or why he appears in the film. And in his recent interview Deshpande revealed that an important scene that he feels was the soul of the film, and represented the film's central philosophy was edited out from the film. Perhaps the sequence cited by Deshpande was probably that key missing component.
The trailer had hinted that we might witness some slick and expertly choreographed action set pieces in the film, and we do. But mind you this film is definitely not set in the world of John Wick. In fact it's set in a polar opposite world. Dev Patel used a specific visual style of extreme close ups, neon lighting, and fast moving camera, to represent the chaotic structure of India's financial centre Mumbai. And he sticks to this particular visual style from beginning to end. Dev Patel's decision to shoot in real dingy locations of Mumbai, and showcasing both magnificent skyscrapers and filthy neighbourhoods, works in favour of the film as it introduces viewers to the disparity between two societies that are part of the same city.
Dev Patel has delivered a strong portrayal as a man who has one objective in life and will go to any length to satisfy his hunger for vengeance. However, this is not a one-note performance. Patel has also given dimensions to his character, and we see his vulnerable side when the film delves into his emotional battle, particularly when he recalls his childhood tragedy. The remainder of the actors, including Sikander Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aditi Kalkunte, Sharlto Copley, and Ashwini Kalsekar, have all delivered strong performances despite their limited screen time.
All in all, Dev Patel's heart pounding, frantic action thriller ambles along in places but still personifies the pent-up rage of India's underprivileged class and remains a clever and intriguing exploration of the current socio-political status of India.
Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley,
Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Makrand Deshpande
Writers: Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela, John Collee
Director: Dev Patel
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