Monday, 23 September 2024

VOD: Monkey Man (dir: Dev Patel, 2024)

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THIS BLOG!

"In the great tapestry of life, just one small ember can burn down everything."

Dev Patel plays The Kid, the titular fighter-for-pay Monkey Man, who infiltrates the ranks of a criminal organisation on a revenge trip that goes badly wrong and finds himself the one who is hunted.  The film takes its time to build the world  and that of Monkey Man that fuses a gritty India-set contemporary tale with a well-laid backstory, modern-day politics, spirituality and mythology very deftly.  Whereas the first act delivers pure action, a more contemplative second act gives the film depth that pays off well in the bruising finale. Visceral action/fight sequences and a fast-cut car chase at times feel a little John Wick via John Woo (which is not a criticism!), but Dev Patel's directorial debut (as well as acting and co-writing here) is bold, rich, stylish and vibrant, his on-screen performance as committed and nuanced as ever, all delivering an extremely watchable slice of very smart action-thriller entertainment. 


 

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