Monkey Man

Last night I had a really fun double feature which began with Dev Patel's directorial debut, Monkey Man.  I am a huge fan of Patel so I was very excited to see this and I was definitely not disappointed!  Inspired by the legend of Hanuman (a powerful deity in the shape of a monkey) which was told to him as a child by his mother, an anonymous man (Patel) earns a living wearing a monkey mask while losing to more popular fighters in an illegal ring run by Tiger (Sharlto Copley).  Motivated by revenge, he also takes a job working at an exclusive club frequented by Rana Singh (Sikandar Kher), the chief of police who beat his mother to death while evacuating their village at the behest of a supposed holy man Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande) who wanted the land for a commune.  However, his attempt to assassinate Rana is unsuccessful and, even though he is severely wounded, he manages to elude Rana and his men as well as escape from police custody (in some exhilarating sequences).  He is taken in by a hijra, or transgender woman, named Alpha (Vipin Sharma) who helps him recuperate and train by reminding him of who he is and what he is really fighting for.  Inspired once more by Hanuman and aided by Alpha and her group, an epic battle with Rana and Baba ensues.  I loved so many things about this movie!  The action is both incredibly stylish and shockingly violent and the frenetic way in which it was filmed makes it so exciting to watch.  It is an absolute adrenaline rush from beginning to end, especially a training sequence accompanied by drums and the final battle at the club.  Patel is definitely an entertaining action star (he has been my choice to play James Bond ever since I saw him in The Wedding Guest) but I was also impressed by the way his eyes express everything his character is feeling.  It is more than just a revenge action thriller because it is also features a scathing indictment of the corruption and hypocrisy that affects the marginalized people of India (I particularly loved the treatment of the hijras) as well as a moving exploration of Hindu mythology.  It is obvious that this is Patel's passion project (he broke his hand while filming the first scene) so I am really glad that it received a theatrical release.  Go see it on the big screen if you are a fan of the genre!