An anonymous young man unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systematically victimize the poor and powerless.
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Monkey Man Ratings & Reviews
- rg9400November 1, 2024Monkey Man was a decent directorial debut. I went into it expecting a standard revenge thriller that has become so popular in the wake of John Wick, but I think it has a bit more depth to it than that. A bit. It sort of indirectly tries to tackle more complex sociopolitical criticisms, but it doesn't really do so head-on, making it feel a bit tacked on. The cinematography is at times really stylish and striking, and at other times, devolves a bit into shaky cameras and quick edits that feel chaotic during action sequences. Dev Patel is a star, but this isn't necessarily the best showcase of his acting. I think, for a debut, it's still surprisingly strong, and I prefer this to something like John Wick because it does attempt to at least give the character more depth. Though it does drag a bit in the first half, specifically near the middle. The second half is much stronger. I think the movie is at its best when it is setting the scene with some beautiful non-action cinematography.
- Mio AkiyamaMarch 12, 2025Super good movie with constant stream of action, fighting scenes have great choreograrphy and the plot is easy to understand and appreciate.
- j.pete6November 2, 2024DEV PATEL GOES MONKEY MODE. GOOD SOUP, MUST WATCH
- jackmeatNovember 14, 2025My quick rating - 7.0/10. That was one wild, blood-pumping ride of a movie, and that isn't my sarcasm saying so. Monkey Man, produced by Jordan Peele and directed by Dev Patel, who also takes the lead as the mysterious fighter known simply as Kid, delivers a raw, emotional, and occasionally bone-crunching experience. Set in the shadowy corners of an unnamed Indian city, the film drops us into Kid’s underground world, where he makes ends meet by letting people beat the living hell out of him in illegal fight clubs while wearing a gorilla mask. Because, you know, dignity is optional when rent’s due. Underneath the sweat and blood is a deeper story of trauma and revenge. Patel weaves a layered story of a man who has been stepped upon one too many times, until finally, it's payback season. When Kid finds a way into the inner circle of the city’s corrupt elite, all that pent-up fury explodes, and his scarred hands turn into the kind of problem money can’t bribe away. What really makes Monkey Man stand out, though, is the action. The fight choreography is absolutely top-notch, with every punch, kick, and improvised weapon feeling genuine. There’s an intensity that reminds me of The Raid 2, especially during a spectacular kitchen fight that practically begs for a replay. I was glad the camera work never loses focus, letting the choreography speak for itself instead of hiding it behind shaky cuts. The chase scenes hit just as hard, throwing in bursts of chaos that kept me glued to the screen. The revenge story, while nothing particularly new, is well-told with emotional weight thanks to flashbacks that give Kid some real character depth. You actually feel why he’s doing what he’s doing, which is more than can be said for half the action heroes out there. Yeah, I thought a few moments were predictable and the film does dip into familiar territory now and then, but honestly, when the storytelling and the direction are this tight, who’s complaining? And the soundtrack isn't bad either. Each track strikes the right emotional cue, never too little, never too much. Patel is magnetic on-screen, balancing quiet vulnerability and explosive rage in a way that's riveting from start to finish. The supporting characters add some colorful flavor along the way, and the urban backdrops feel lived-in rather than dressed-up. I’ll admit, I was skeptical going in. Dev Patel directing an action revenge film sounded like one of those “this could either be genius or chaos” situations. Thankfully, it’s much closer to the first. Monkey Man is a smart, stylish, and brutally satisfying action flick that proves Patel’s got serious chops behind and in front of the camera. For action junkies, this one’s worth your time, and maybe a second viewing just to appreciate how clean those punches land.
- Audrey LaymanOctober 29, 2024Dev got that slum dawg in him 🐶
- CubaneOctober 31, 2025Look, I love a good systematic victimization as much as the next guy... But these antagonists are pretty one-dimensional even by revenge plot standards. Still, the action is in ample supply and it's well done.
- thomasrogers753August 13, 2025This is a great directorial debut for Dave Patel. I’ve only really seen him in Wes Anderson’s stuff so this was a complete 180 that I was pleasantly surprised by
- Chris CAugust 1, 2025As a directorial debut for Dev Patel, this is a very solid outing. It's a film rich in colors and hues, and it's easy to see that there was something personal about this for Patel. It's not non-stop action, but there are multiple well-crafted set pieces, which are lots of fun to watch. There's some real brutality to some of the action, which might put off some viewers, but I thought fit well into the movie. Plot-wise, it's ultimately a fairly standard "revenge action-thriller", but there's enough here that it still feels fresh enough. It's an above-average action movie and a great start for Patel as a director.
- Kevin WardJuly 1, 2025Monkey Man if nothing else puts Writer/Director/Star Dev Patel on full display as a creative force. You can feel the passion and drive emanating off the screen. The tight close-ups and shaky cam aesthetic of most action scenes particularly early on will surely frustrate some. But I think it imbued the film with a messy but ferocious energy that fit perfectly with the story. Indeed as Patel’s skills level up throughout the movie we see the camera steady and pull back slightly from the action, the choreography becomes more elegant along with the costuming and settings—it’s as if the film itself is leveling up along with the kid or “Bobby”. The fact that this is Patel’s first directorial feature also lends itself to the feeling that Dev himself is leveling up as a director as the story progresses. I think this aspect is altogether unintentional, but I couldn’t help but feel that while watching it. As for the story, it is a straight forward revenge thriller that incorporates some elements of Indian Hindu mythology, spirituality and politics into the narrative, albeit with fairly broad strokes. Still it’s completely refreshing perspective from a mostly Western production. Overall, I was extremely entertained by Monkey Man. Brutal and bloody fight scenes (so many stabbings), and Dev Patel’s passion is splattered all over the screen. Highly recommend.
- Yuvi RandhawaMay 20, 2025Dev Patel the icon you are. Trailblazer for the South Asian artists out there, this is an important film for the culture I promise you
- VarunJanuary 26, 2025A movie that is a little rough around the edges but works due to the passion it exudes. Dev Patel’s acting was pretty good and he really sells the revenge arc. All action movies require a suspense of disbelief but the first sequence of the movie asked for too much with some awkward cuts, overly shaky camera and a mediocre car chase. However it does a great job of establishing the brutal intensity and carnage that Dev is going for. Rana’s character is despicable and menacing with a dominating physique, it makes you want to root even more for Dev. The actor who played the evil Baba did a really good job too, and it’s also pretty funny that he looks very similar to my dad lol. Alphonso provided some nice comic relief. I really liked the representation of the Hijra community, Alpha was a cool character that, despite using some cheesy dialogue, really grounds Dev with some good wisdom. I’m a sucker for trippy scenes so I enjoyed the visuals of Dev opening his chest, but I found the whole Hanuman connection lacking. For a movie named Monkey Man I think they should’ve incorporated more monkey style martial arts and also in that trippy scene they could’ve visually represented how Dev taps into the human evolutionary past to embody the stronger traits of primates to help him achieve his revenge. The monkey/hanuman aspect is only used as a kind of mental/spiritual inspiration rather than any physical manifestation. There is so much depth in Indian philosophy and mythology but for some reason movies only expound on it in the most vague ways possible. Now I absolutely loved the training arc because one of my favourite bands of all time is Shakti and I’m a huge fan of Zakir Hussain. As soon as I saw him I had a huge grin on my face. For those of you who don’t know this, in many Indian Classical Music concerts, two musicians with different instruments will have a battle where they take turns playing the same musical beats and tones. To see that parallel with the punching bag and tabla was so freaking good. The soundtrack for the movie was also good and I liked some of the rap music choices. The final fight sequence was shot really well, and despite me usually preferring purely raw sounds, I actually enjoyed the somber music that played during the bar fight. I personally liked the close up cinematic choices and also enjoyed the visual tone of the whole movie, I think it’s imperfect but that somehow adds more depth to the gritty nature of the story. I feel like the runtime was a bit long, a lot of the early flashbacks to Dev’s past was a bit unnecessary and removes some of the mystery. It reminded me of the constant use of flashbacks in older anime. The final reveal of the full picture of his past was great and powerful in mirroring the violent events that have taken place in India and still continue to happen to this day. The Baba and political allusions was underbaked but I still thought its addition and the visual montage at the end provided some powerful emotional commentary on the downward direction that fundamentalism and populism is taking India in. Dev’s strong passion for many social issues and his bold decision to share it through a John Wick style action film is such a commendable endeavour, especially considering it’s his directorial debut. The flaws can be forgiven and I hope to see more finesse in Dev’s future projects. I’m so glad to finally see more western action movie projects incorporate South Asian countries and cultures like Extraction, Polite Society and now Monkey Man, there’s so much untapped potential and I really hope our communities actually support and recommend these movies as much as possible.
- XionnJanuary 17, 2025Hyper violent cliche
- Grant HarveyJanuary 8, 2025pretty fun
- b.evil.cOctober 14, 2024Not the movie I expected but so much better for that.
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Monkey Man Trivia
Monkey Man was released on April 3, 2024.
Monkey Man was directed by Dev Patel.
Monkey Man has a runtime of 2h 2m.
Monkey Man was produced by Anjay Nagpal, Erica Lee, Christine Haebler, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, Bavand Karim, Samarth Sahni, Jomon Thomas, Dev Patel, Basil Iwanyk.
The key characters in Monkey Man are Kid (Dev Patel), Rana (Sikandar Kher), Baba Shakti (Makrand Deshpande).
Monkey Man is rated R.
Monkey Man is an Action, Thriller, Crime film.
Monkey Man has an audience rating of 8.1 out of 10.