Think John Wick meets RRR. That’s what we felt watching Dev Patel’s exceptional directorial debut, writing and starring in this relentlessly violent and bloody, action-packed film that almost didn’t get made. Even with so many brutal scenes throughout, the story carries and you won’t be able to look away. Patel is certainly no Gandhi, but he’s a Brown man who is fighting for right in this film. You won’t know it at first, but just wait.
You’ll be blown away by the the superb fight choreography in this film. But there’s so much more. Patel’s film is multi-layered, dealing with corruption, spirituality, religion, politics, as well as a heart wrenching family story. He wrote this original story and the screenplay in collaboration with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (Hotel Mumbai, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World).
With so much to the plot, It gets confusing at times. But even though it’s loaded with visceral, bloody fight scenes throughout, it is an emotionally charged story of a good man, Kid, (Patel) seeking justice for his family and for the downtrodden people his country.
The film was supposed to be shot in India, but shut down before it even got started because of COVID. Jordan Peel stepped in as Producer (Monkeypaw Productions) when things started to go south and Netflix pulled out before shooting the first scene. Patel had to get a new Producer and Cinematographer and be resourceful using makeshift gear when things broke down. He even had to use a mobile phone and go pros to shoot many scenes of the film.
Cinematographer Sharone Meir shot mind-blowing action scenes with swish pans and closeups of fighting that draw you right into each punch. It doesn’t matter whether Patel is taking punishment in the ring, or destroying everything that moves in a high end night club. To save money, Patel even had to put the broken wooden prop tables back together to use again and again for each take of action scenes.
The story opens with a young boy hearing his mother tell the tale of his favorite mystic, mythical, monkey-like Hindu Deity Hanuman. The brutal murder of his mother before his eyes sets him on a path of vengeance for those responsible.
We next see Kid (Patel) him in the ring as the human punching bag at an underground fight club. He’s Monkey Man, being pummeled to a pulp so the rambunctious fight fans can bet against him. His job is to take a dive and lose which enriches the sleezy White fight promoter, Tiger (Sharlot Copley, District 9). But then Kid gets a job which becomes a chance to infiltrate the corrupt political elite and get back at those responsible for his mother’s death. It’s all intertwined with Indian politics, spirituality, religion, and what happened to his family. He advances from working as part of the kitchen staff in the lush club to serving in the more exclusive areas. That’s where he sees the men he’s after who are routinely mistreating women. He recognizes the powerful official he seeks from his past, Rana (Sikander Khmer) making the beautiful Sita (Sobhita Dhulipala) noticeably uncomfortable. This gives Kid even more of a reason to go after him.
Chaos reigns supreme in the destruction of this rich establishment with a succession of horrifyingly bloody fight scenes. Patel pulls no punches on the blood and gore as you root for this Monkey Man, now maskless. When you think he’s just about done, he’s not. He gets unexpected help from Alfonso (Pito Bash) in an auto charged scooter (nice touch of levity) as the guys in the big luxury cars take chase.
Somehow, he evades the big guns, but has been seriously wounded. On death’s doorstep, he’s rescued and recovers at a spiritual enclave inhabited by another group of out-castes. The leader of this group, led by Alpha (Vipin Sharma) prepares him for the ultimate reckoning and destiny at the crossroads of his own personal revenge story. Flashback in detail show what caused him to stand up to the corrupt political establishment which is about to elect an autocrat which mirrors what’s happening present-day India. The final clashes spills even more blood. By the time you get this far, Patel has spun a tale that will make you feel so invested in Kid’s quest, you’ll be riveted to see what happens next.
Patel more than overcompensates for all of drawbacks he had to overcome to create this film during COVID. It’s obvious he wanted to infuse this very personal undertaking telling a very complicated story with extreme violence to get his point across. As hard as this very brutal action film is to watch, you have to respect Patel for writing, directing and taking a beating in his quest for justice in this heart pounding, chest thumping movie.
Universal Pictures. 2 hours and 1 minute. R
