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Monkey Man (film)

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Monkey Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDev Patel
Screenplay by
Story byDev Patel
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySharone Meir
Edited by
  • Dávid Jancsó[1]
  • Tim Murrell[1]
Music byJed Kurzel
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • March 11, 2024 (2024-03-11) (SXSW)
  • April 5, 2024 (2024-04-05) (United States and Canada)
Running time
121 minutes[4]
Countries
  • Canada
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million[5]
Box office$12.7 million[6]

Monkey Man is a 2024 action thriller film directed and co-produced by Dev Patel in his directorial debut, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee. The film stars Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash Tripathy, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Adithi Kalkunte, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Makarand Deshpande, Jatin Malik, and Zakir Hussain.

Monkey Man premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024, and was released theatrically in the United States and Canada by Universal Pictures on April 5, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In a forest village in India, Kid lives with his mother Neela, who inspires him with tales of Hanuman. Baba Shakti, a ruthless spiritual guru in the nearby city of Yatana, sends Rana Singh, the corrupt police chief, to force out the villagers and acquire their land. The village is massacred, but Neela is able to hide Kid. Rana finds and kills Neela as Kid witnesses her death, leaving his hands badly scarred as the village is burned to the ground.

Years later, Kid earns a punishing living in Yatana as a monkey-masked fighter at "Tiger's Temple", a bloody underground boxing club, where he is incentivised to lose while shedding blood. Kid plots his revenge on Baba, who continues to gain followers and political influence, and Rana, who frequents "Kings", a luxury brothel run by Queenie Kapoor, who provides drugs and prostitutes to wealthy clients. To infiltrate Kings, Kid has Queenie's wallet stolen and returns it, receiving a job in the kitchen. Kid takes the alias "Bobby" from a cleaning product and befriends Alphonso, a gangster working for Queenie.

Revealing his life as a fighter, Kid helps Alphonso win a large bet on a bout in exchange for a promotion; as a waiter, Kid is able to access the VIP floor to reach Rana. Among Queenie's prostitutes is Sita, who advises Kid to give up working in such a place. Buying a gun, Kid trains a stray dog to carry the weapon past security and spikes Rana's cocaine with cleaning powder in order to confront him in the bathroom. He attempts to shoot Rana, but is foiled and forced to fight his way out of the building. Fleeing in Alphonso's supercharged tuk-tuk, Kid crashes and is arrested, but escapes through the city.

Nearly killed by an axe-wielding pimp, Kid is shot by the police during a rooftop chase and falls into a pond. He is rescued by Alpha, the keeper of a local temple of Ardhanarishvara, whose transgender community are being targeted by Baba's growing political movement. Alpha guides Kid through a hallucinogenic experience to confront the trauma of his mother's death, encouraging him to train himself in combat with a newfound purpose. When their sanctuary is threatened, Kid returns to fight at Tiger's Temple again, placing a large bet on himself. Winning over Alphonso and the crowd, Kid emerges victorious with enough money to save Alpha's temple.

During Diwali, Baba's candidate, Adesh Joshi, is elected and their nationalist party celebrates at Kings. Kid fights his way inside with improvised weapons and fireworks, where he is soon surrounded by Queenie's men. However, Alpha and her warriors arrive to help. Queenie attempts to shoot Kid, but is subdued and killed by Sita. Using Queenie's severed thumb to access the penthouse, Kid confronts Rana for a rematch and beats him to death in a brutal fistfight. Following this, Kid finally reaches Baba, who mortally wounds him with blades hidden in his padukas. Kid manages to kill Baba using the same blades, finally avenging Neela's death. Kid collapses from his injuries and reminisces about Neela and his devotion to Hanuman.

Cast

Production

On October 29, 2018, it was reported that Dev Patel would make his directorial debut with an action thriller film titled Monkey Man, which he co-wrote with Paul Angunawela and John Collee, and was set to star in.[8][9][10] Initially, Patel tried to recruit previous collaborator Neill Blomkamp to direct but Blomkamp declined and suggested he direct it himself.[11][12] Speaking of his work on the film, Patel stated, "I think the action genre has sometimes been abused by the system. I wanted to give it real soul, real trauma, real pain ... And I wanted to infuse it with a little bit of culture."[13]

Initially gearing up to shoot on location in India in early 2020, the film was postponed and nearly canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Patel then opted to shoot the film on a small island in Batam, Indonesia.[14] While filming the first action sequence, Patel broke his hand.[13][15]

On March 12, 2021, it was announced that filming was completed and Netflix had bought worldwide rights to the film for $30 million, described as "John Wick in Mumbai".[16] However, Netflix later felt the film was too gritty for Indian audiences and was concerned about their reaction to the film's political commentary, instead quietly shopping it around and nearly cancelling the release.[17][18] Of this decision, Patel said, "[Netflix] didn't really know what they'd bargained for. The actual film itself is a lot denser and it's saying a lot... it's not your usual action scene on page one, and then you continue fighting nonstop. It's trying to do a bit more."[19] Jordan Peele saw the film and, feeling that it deserved a theatrical release, came on board as producer under his Monkeypaw Productions banner.[20] He persuaded Universal Pictures to acquire the film from Netflix for under $10 million; Patel later stated that Peele "took us from this thing that was brushed under the carpet to putting us on top of the mantel piece."[21]

Soundtrack

Jed Kurzel composed a new score for the film, replacing original composer Volker Bertelmann.[22]

Themes

Monkey Man addresses the topics of corruption and discrimination in India.[23] Additional themes include inequities in India's caste system, poverty, and transgenderism.

Release

Director Dev Patel at SXSW 2024

Monkey Man had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024.[21] It had its Sydney premiere on April 2, 2024, attended by Patel and his partner, Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey,[24] and was released in Australian cinemas on April 4.[25] The film was released in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland by Universal Pictures on April 5, 2024.[21][26][27]

The scheduled release date in India is April 19, 2024, but it may be[vague] held up and have cuts made in it by Central Board of Film Certification.[28][29]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Monkey Man was released in 3,029 theaters, alongside The First Omen.[30] It grossed $10 million in its opening weekend, including $4.3 million on its first day, and $1.4 million during its Thursday night previews.[6][31] It placed second in the weekend box office table, but made slightly less than its projected $12 million take.[30]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 197 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "An audacious effort from debuting director Dev Patel, Monkey Man dispenses action and sociopolitical commentary with equal aplomb."[32] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[33] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[31]

Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian, awarded 4 out of 5 stars, reserving praise for Patel's performance and calling it a "stylish and exciting action thriller, which doubles as a boisterous satire of Modi-esque nationalism".[34] Tim Robey of The Telegraph awarded 3 out of 5 stars, writing that "The actor's directorial debut is an astonishingly violent, expertly staged John Wick-in-Mumbai slugfest" but questioned whether it was "a waste of his talents".[35] Saffron Maeve, writing for The Globe and Mail, described the film as "solid and blockbuster-audience friendly", but that its "woozy overediting [...] makes the theatrical experience tiring."[36]

The New York Times wrote, "As the story comes into blurry focus, Patel gestures at the real world and folds in some mythology, but these elements only create expectations for a complex story than never emerges. What mostly registers is an overarching sense of exploitation and desperation: Everyone is always hustling someone else. That gives the movie a provocative pessimism".[37] The Washington Post noted that "Monkey Man addresses the inequities of India's caste system in ways more pointed than you would expect. The glimpses of Mumbai poverty are brief but harsh, and at one point Kid takes refuge in a temple of abused transgender women [...] There's also the matter of the movie's main villain, Baba Shakti — a white-haired ultranationalist power broker who whips worshipful mobs into a frenzy and who may have looked a little too much like India's prime minister Narendra Modi for Netflix."[38][39]

References

  1. ^ a b Nemiroff, Perri (March 12, 2024). "'Monkey Man' Review: Dev Patel Arrives as a Next-Level Action Star, at Last SXSW 2024". Collider. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Gyarkye, Lovia (March 12, 2024). "'Monkey Man' Review: Dev Patel Directs and Stars in a Revenge Thriller That Both Fascinates and Frustrates". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Daniels, Robert (March 12, 2024). "'Monkey Man': SXSW Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  4. ^ "Monkey Man (18)". BBFC. Retrieved March 31, 2024. 121m 29s
  5. ^ "How Monkey Man Went from Netflix Orphan to Theatrical Event". TheWrap. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Monkey Man — Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "Monkey Man trailer: Sobhita makes her Hollywood debut with Dev Patel's film". Hindustan Times. January 27, 2024.
  8. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (October 29, 2018). "Dev Patel To Make Feature Directing Debut With Monkey Man – AFM". Deadline. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Ritman, Alex (October 29, 2018). "Dev Patel to Make Directorial Debut With Monkey Man". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  10. ^ Kay, Jeremy (October 29, 2018). "Dev Patel to direct, star in AFM-bound Monkey Man". Screen Daily. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com.
  12. ^ Chuba, Kirsten (April 4, 2024). "Dev Patel Was a "Reluctant Director" for Debut Film 'Monkey Man' But Now "Would Love To Do It Again"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 12, 2024). "'Monkey Man' Stomps Into SXSW As Dev Patel Gets Standing Ovation At World Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  14. ^ Sharf, Zack (March 29, 2024). "Dev Patel Says 'Monkey Man' Shoot Faced 'Absolute Catastrophe': Funding Nearly Pulled, Locations Lost, Broken Cameras and a 'Basically Dead' Movie". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  15. ^ Netzley, Sara (March 31, 2024). "Dev Patel broke his hand on the Monkey Man set, and all he got was a T-shirt of his X-ray". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  16. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (March 12, 2021). "Netflix Strikes $30M Deal For Dev Patel's Buzzed-About Directorial Debut Monkey Man". Deadline. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Sitek, Natalie (April 4, 2024). "Dev Patel On How Jordan Peele Swung A Theatrical Release For 'Monkey Man'". Deadline. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  18. ^ Taylor, Drew (April 5, 2024). "How 'Monkey Man' Went From Netflix Roadkill to Universal's Theatrical Event". TheWrap. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  19. ^ Ambriz, Leslie; Watson, Sian (April 4, 2024). "How Dev Patel got 'Monkey Man,' his directorial debut beset by challenges, to the finish line". WVNS-TV. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  20. ^ Taylor, Drew (April 5, 2024). "How Monkey Man Went From Netflix Orphan to Theatrical Event". TheWrap. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 26, 2024). "Dev Patel's 'Monkey Man' Springs From Netflix To Monkeypaw & Universal, Sets April Theatrical Release, Trailer Drops". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  22. ^ "Jed Kurzel Scoring Dev Patel's 'Monkey Man'". Film Music Reporter. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  23. ^ Squires, John (January 26, 2024). "'Monkey Man' Trailer – Producer Jordan Peele and Director Dev Patel Deliver Primal Revenge in April". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  24. ^ Mazzeo, Esme (April 4, 2024). "Dev Patel and Tilda Cobham-Hervey Make Their Red Carpet Debut as a Couple at Monkey Man Premiere". Peoplemag. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  25. ^ Barnes, Denise (April 5, 2024). "'Monkey Man': Dev Patel's Directorial Debut Is Bloody & Brilliant". Variety Australia. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  26. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 7, 2024). "SXSW 2024 Second Wave Includes Pics With Sydney Sweeney, Nicolas Cage, Camila Mendes & 'Monkey Man'". Deadline. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  27. ^ Dalton, Ben; Geisinger, Gabriella; Tabbara, Mona; Dalton, Ben; Kay, Jeremy (April 6, 2024). "UK-Ireland box office preview: Dev Patel's 'Monkey Man' climbs into 592 cinemas". Screen. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  28. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (April 5, 2024). "Will 'Monkey Man' Even Be Released in India? An Uphill Battle with Censors Awaits". Yahoo News. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  29. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (April 5, 2024). "Monkey Man's Political Critique Misses the Point". TIME. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (April 3, 2024). "Box Office: 'Godzilla x Kong' to Tower Over 'Monkey Man,' 'First Omen'". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  31. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 6, 2024). "'Godzilla x Kong' Rising To $30M; 'Monkey Man' Sees $10M, 'First Omen' Jinxed With $8M+ – Box Office". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  32. ^ "Monkey Man". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 7, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  33. ^ "Monkey Man". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  34. ^ Peter Bradshaw (April 3, 2024). "Monkey Man review – Dev Patel goes wild in ultraviolent Mumbai revenge flick". The Guardian. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  35. ^ Tim Robey (April 4, 2024). "Monkey Man, review: gore-hounds will relish Dev Patel's brutal revenge thriller". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  36. ^ Saffron Maeve (April 4, 2024). "Review: Dev Patel's Monkey Man is a fleshy action film that is hampered by woozy overediting". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  37. ^ Manohla Dargis (April 4, 2024). "'Monkey Man' Review: Vengeance Is His". The New York Times.
  38. ^ "Review | 'Monkey Man': Something 'Wick'-ed this way comes". Washington Post. April 4, 2024. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  39. ^ Ty Burr (April 6, 2024). "Monkey Man: Dev Patel tackles Indian corruption in violent action-thriller". Front Page of India. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
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