Slightly too long, but pretty much every other element of ‘Monkey Man’ is more than enough to compensate.

I had a very good time watching what is Dev Patel’s directorial debut. He himself is outstanding, having portrayed the role of the titular character perfectly. I had only seen the guy in two films (‘Slumdog Millionaire’ & ‘The Last Airbender’) prior to this, so very much happy to see him act further. An excellent job from him on and off screen, I’m happy that he managed to get this made in the end.

As noted, I do think the run time could’ve been trimmed a little. It’s not a major issue of mine, at all, but at a few moments I did feel my interest wane a bit. The story itself is a good one though, one that is entwined with a lot of fight (literally) but a lot of feeling too. Visually, it’s a beauty. As for those behind Patel, Pitobash and Vipin Sharma are positives; Ashwini Kalsekar does well too.

Most definitely worth a watch, especially on the big screen! I enjoyed myself, all in all.

When I saw the trailer for Monkey Man, I was unsure of what to expect. It seemed like a standard revenge tale with a horror twist. However, what I got was one of my favorite films of the year. Dev Patel shines not only in his acting but also in his directing. This film is much more than another John Wick type of movie; it delves into deep themes and presents a complex narrative that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Initially, the trailer gave the impression of a conventional revenge story with some horror elements. However, the film exceeds these expectations by offering a richer, more nuanced narrative. The themes explored are profound, touching on revenge, justice, and the human condition.

Dev Patel’s dual role as actor and director is impressive. His performance is both intense and layered, bringing depth to his character’s journey. Additionally, his direction is sharp, balancing action with moments of introspection.

The film is more than just an action-packed revenge story; it explores deeper themes that resonate on multiple levels. The narrative examines the nature of revenge and its impact on the individual and society. For example, the protagonist’s quest isn’t just about personal vendetta but also about addressing the broader corruption and injustice in the city. This thematic depth sets the film apart from more straightforward action movies.

My biggest gripe is that the story could benefit from a longer runtime (which I NEVER say). The film occasionally feels rushed, particularly in the latter half when the protagonist begins his hunt. More time to build tension and develop interactions would enhance the overall impact.

Despite this minor flaw, the movie is fantastic. It stands out for its strong performances, thoughtful direction, and complex narrative. Dev Patel has proven himself as a talented filmmaker capable of delivering both action and substance. I look forward to seeing more from him in the future and hope he continues to explore and expand on these rich themes.

Some Great Elements, But Not A Great Movie
Huge Dev Patel fan. Monkey Man is the first movie I’ve gone to see in the theaters in a very long time. I just don’t get interested enough to not wait for it to be streaming.

Monkey Man compelled me to go. It’s probably the best movie trailer I’ve ever seen, or at least one of the best.

The problem with the trailer that I foresee is many are going to walk out of the theater feeling misled.

If you’re an action movie fan, DO NOT GO SEE THIS IN THEATERS. Wait for streaming. This is a drama with elements of action and crime thriller. Anyone going in who thinks this is like John Wick will be sorely disappointed. The problem is, that’s the impression the trailer gives.

I’m actually not even a John Wick fan. I like action movies, but I don’t seek them out often. What I thought could make Monkey Man special was the added substance of Indian mythology, culture, and a more fleshed out character drama that was hinted at in the trailer.

Some of that was present, but it didn’t come together nearly as well as I had hoped. I don’t agree with the severe criticism of the action scenes and how they were filmed. I thought they were good and the shaky cam didn’t bother me. Could it have been better? Probably. But I think the criticism there is overblown.

Where the film missed its mark for me was the story itself. The first act was good, but in the second act it ground to a halt for 40 minutes or so of more of what we already learned in act 1, at the expense of pacing. Some parts were fleshed out way too much while other parts weren’t fleshed out enough, making it feel off almost the whole movie. The supporting characters didn’t get enough of this, which didn’t help us care about them and also care about them joining the fight with our protagonist.

I’m genuinely surprised at some of Dev’s choices in Act 2. I actually admire him for trying to make a movie with more substance that could be called action to some degree, but I just think he didn’t nail the blend of these things with Monkey Man. You could argue that he tried to do too much. There was a significant amount of extended flashback used throughout even up to the very end. This ended up taking us out of the present and hurting the flow of the story.

I think Monkey Man as Dev Patel envisioned it might have been much better as a limited series. So that he could take his time and flesh everything out the way he wanted. Because again, there were some great elements in this movie. Good acting, good cinematography, good music (although it sounds as if it was more stereotypical Indian music and other cultural elements used), some great fight scene moments, and some fun bits. It just doesn’t add up to a great movie.

Someone else mentioned they felt detached a bit, and I agree. Despite the protagonist’s story having the right emotional elements to draw us in, it didn’t do it as much I had hoped for me.

What I envision is a lot of people going into this expecting a pure action thrill ride, and they’re going to be bored. Again, this is a drama, and one that I wanted to like more than I did.

This doesn’t sour me on Dev at all. He may have just bit off more than he could chew with this one, but he had the balls to go for it, and I respect that.

Promised so much but didn’t deliver
Some of my favourite films of recent years are Nobody, Extraction, John Wicks and even Polar, so I was looking forward to watching this.

First the good bits:

-Story was OK, nice to mix it in with excluded and socio-economic divided groups in India. Nothing amazing/original here and it had some holes.

-Acting was perfunctory, nothing stand out great and nothing atrocious.

-Violence, on occasion there was some well shot satisfying violence.

Now the bad bits:

-All of the unrelenting shaky cam, absolutely no need for all of it. I almost walked out in the second act because of it and I’ve never walked out of a cinema. They tried to do longer type shots for the action especially in the final act with less shaky cam, but still not shot well.

-Really, really too many out of focus shots, either the cameraman was really inexperienced or they had too much really bad stylistic advice. Really distracting and really frustrating (just like my overuse of “really”)

-Almost constant poor framing of shots. Nothing was easy to watch and fortunately once shot every few minutes was OK to give my eyes a rest. Not sure if they bothered checking the cinematographer’s CV before they hired him. Surely they had one, right?

-The action, I love action films especially gritty, realistic, violent ones where the choreography has to be sharp and flow. This wasn’t bad by any means but completely forgettable and shot appallingly compared to any of the films mentioned above. Dev Patel was OK, but a couple of times he was waiting for a punch and just out of the rhythm of it.

All in all a disappointing film and a waste of the price of the cinema.

Slightly too long, but pretty much every other element of ‘Monkey Man’ is more than enough to compensate.

I had a very good time watching what is Dev Patel’s directorial debut. He himself is outstanding, having portrayed the role of the titular character perfectly. I had only seen the guy in two films (‘Slumdog Millionaire’ & ‘The Last Airbender’) prior to this, so very much happy to see him act further. An excellent job from him on and off screen, I’m happy that he managed to get this made in the end.

As noted, I do think the run time could’ve been trimmed a little. It’s not a major issue of mine, at all, but at a few moments I did feel my interest wane a bit. The story itself is a good one though, one that is entwined with a lot of fight (literally) but a lot of feeling too. Visually, it’s a beauty. As for those behind Patel, Pitobash and Vipin Sharma are positives; Ashwini Kalsekar does well too.

Most definitely worth a watch, especially on the big screen! I enjoyed myself, all in all.

This movie is a boring John Wick wannabe (they literally mention John Wick in the movie). The action sucks, the cinematography is nauseating, the story is boring. There’s nothing good about this movie. I’m convinced the high reviews are probably from Indians, as they like to rate shit movies highly. If you’re not Indian, don’t waste your time on this crap.

Some Great Elements, But Not A Great Movie
Huge Dev Patel fan. Monkey Man is the first movie I’ve gone to see in the theaters in a very long time. I just don’t get interested enough to not wait for it to be streaming.

Monkey Man compelled me to go. It’s probably the best movie trailer I’ve ever seen, or at least one of the best.

The problem with the trailer that I foresee is many are going to walk out of the theater feeling misled.

If you’re an action movie fan, DO NOT GO SEE THIS IN THEATERS. Wait for streaming. This is a drama with elements of action and crime thriller. Anyone going in who thinks this is like John Wick will be sorely disappointed. The problem is, that’s the impression the trailer gives.

I’m actually not even a John Wick fan. I like action movies, but I don’t seek them out often. What I thought could make Monkey Man special was the added substance of Indian mythology, culture, and a more fleshed out character drama that was hinted at in the trailer.

Some of that was present, but it didn’t come together nearly as well as I had hoped. I don’t agree with the severe criticism of the action scenes and how they were filmed. I thought they were good and the shaky cam didn’t bother me. Could it have been better? Probably. But I think the criticism there is overblown.

Where the film missed its mark for me was the story itself. The first act was good, but in the second act it ground to a halt for 40 minutes or so of more of what we already learned in act 1, at the expense of pacing. Some parts were fleshed out way too much while other parts weren’t fleshed out enough, making it feel off almost the whole movie. The supporting characters didn’t get enough of this, which didn’t help us care about them and also care about them joining the fight with our protagonist.

I’m genuinely surprised at some of Dev’s choices in Act 2. I actually admire him for trying to make a movie with more substance that could be called action to some degree, but I just think he didn’t nail the blend of these things with Monkey Man. You could argue that he tried to do too much. There was a significant amount of extended flashback used throughout even up to the very end. This ended up taking us out of the present and hurting the flow of the story.

I think Monkey Man as Dev Patel envisioned it might have been much better as a limited series. So that he could take his time and flesh everything out the way he wanted. Because again, there were some great elements in this movie. Good acting, good cinematography, good music (although it sounds as if it was more stereotypical Indian music and other cultural elements used), some great fight scene moments, and some fun bits. It just doesn’t add up to a great movie.

Someone else mentioned they felt detached a bit, and I agree. Despite the protagonist’s story having the right emotional elements to draw us in, it didn’t do it as much I had hoped for me.

What I envision is a lot of people going into this expecting a pure action thrill ride, and they’re going to be bored. Again, this is a drama, and one that I wanted to like more than I did.

This doesn’t sour me on Dev at all. He may have just bit off more than he could chew with this one, but he had the balls to go for it, and I respect that.

Promised so much but didn’t deliver
Some of my favourite films of recent years are Nobody, Extraction, John Wicks and even Polar, so I was looking forward to watching this.

First the good bits:

-Story was OK, nice to mix it in with excluded and socio-economic divided groups in India. Nothing amazing/original here and it had some holes.

-Acting was perfunctory, nothing stand out great and nothing atrocious.

-Violence, on occasion there was some well shot satisfying violence.

Now the bad bits:

-All of the unrelenting shaky cam, absolutely no need for all of it. I almost walked out in the second act because of it and I’ve never walked out of a cinema. They tried to do longer type shots for the action especially in the final act with less shaky cam, but still not shot well.

-Really, really too many out of focus shots, either the cameraman was really inexperienced or they had too much really bad stylistic advice. Really distracting and really frustrating (just like my overuse of “really”)

-Almost constant poor framing of shots. Nothing was easy to watch and fortunately once shot every few minutes was OK to give my eyes a rest. Not sure if they bothered checking the cinematographer’s CV before they hired him. Surely they had one, right?

-The action, I love action films especially gritty, realistic, violent ones where the choreography has to be sharp and flow. This wasn’t bad by any means but completely forgettable and shot appallingly compared to any of the films mentioned above. Dev Patel was OK, but a couple of times he was waiting for a punch and just out of the rhythm of it.

All in all a disappointing film and a waste of the price of the cinema.