Action Watch: Monkey Man (2024)

Watched:  11/12/2024

Format:  Amazon

Viewing:  First

Director:  Dev Patel

When I saw the trailer, I recall wanting to see Monkey Man (2024).  But, honestly, 2024 has been another year of WTF, as every year has been since we lost Bowie.  And, events conspiring as they did, I missed the film until now.  

Why now?  Well, Jamie said "I want to watch an action movie", and I was really looking hard at Lady Snowblood, which she hasn't seen yet.  But I said "you know, that movie features so much trauma stuff and violence, so maybe not."  And, instead, chose the light action-comedy, Monkey Man.*  But, curiously!, there's a really, really similar plot line between Lady Snowblood and Monkey Man, and both have some pretty crazy amounts of balletic violence going on.

I am the first to admit - I am, at best, vaguely aware of Indian politics and current events/ issues.  And while I followed the film, I'm also certain I missed piles of nuance and subtext that someone more culturally literate than myself could track.  

The gist is, years ago a young boy is a fan of the mythical character, Hanuman (a monkey figure).  Through flashback interspersed, we learn that his village was burned by a sort of religious figure who is also an industrialist who used the cops to enforce his desires - like taking the land owned and occupied by minority ethnicities or religious factions.  In the course of the village's destruction, the Kid's mother is murdered in front of him.

Decades later, nothing has improved, but the kid is living for revenge.  He just doesn't really know how to focus his anger or get access as those in power now hide in skyscrapers and fancy clubs.  Meanwhile, he's training by playing the heel in local bareknuckle fights while wearing a monkey mask.  

He gets the access and tries to get his revenge, but things go sideways and he almost dies.  Saved by a temple of hijra - a catch-all community for intersex, transgender and other non-gender-conforming people.  Also under threat from the same forces that took The Kid's land and mother, they understand (and support him).  He gets better, trains and goes back in.

I wasn't a huge fan of the John Wick movies.  They were too slick and cool and felt like watching someone else play a video game.  Monkey Man is deeply stylized, and feels like a fever dream much of the time, but it's not *slick* in the same way.  John Wick smells like Axe body spray and feels like an Andrew Tate idea of "classy".  Monkey Man stinks of sweat, bleach and blood and has a rough idea what the real world looks like in a world of great disparity.  John Wick is (rightfully) mad about his dog.  The Kid is carrying the anger and grief of 10's of millions.  And it knows that when you hit someone, it hurts for both of you.

The movie took some jabs online for being brutally violent, and... yes.  It is, but not so much more than a whole lot of other movies (am I still the only human who saw Nobody?)  It's not a movie entirely comfortable with it's own violence, or the maybe nihilistic suggestion that "we gave peace a chance, and how did that work out?"  While the powerful do blow with an array of hookers in their cloistered worlds, kids sleep on cardboard on the sidewalk outside.

As such, it's a revenge fantasy, but it also stirs the pot, social commentary-wise.  I don't think the movie has yet been actually released in India, but you also know that those enterprising youths in India have been having no problem seeing it if they so choose.

I liked the cast a lot.  Dev Patel is a known entity, but he's a canny action hero in this world.  Sikandar Kher a great Big Boss-type villain.  Sobhita Dhulipala is absolutely gorgeous as a focal point for The Kid.  Anyway - everyone is solid.  And the fight staff impeccable.

In some ways, it's a bummer this movie didn't quite land with audiences.  I liked it well enough, and I liked Dev Patel's balls-to-the-wall directorial effort and stunt coordination.  I confess I was a bit surprised this got made in India, given some nudity and whatnot, but my understanding is that they went to Indonesia during COVID to film it, which also explains some of the casting.  

*this is a wee joke, friends