Dev Patel stars in and directs this screenplay he co-wrote with Paul Angunawela and John Collee about a young man, Kid (Patel), who earns a meager living by donning a monkey mask and engaging in combat in illegal underground fights. His “job” is to take a beating and make the rival fighters look good, but what he’s really up to is a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt rich who murdered his mother and continue to victimize the poor. (121 min.)
Glen: This compelling action flick is also interested in exploring India’s socio-political injustices. In flashbacks, we see a young Kid (Jatin Malik) and his mother, Neela (Adithi Kalkunte), living a poor but idyllic life in a jungle village … until greedy spiritual guru Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande) orders his henchmen led by Rana Singh (Sikander Kher) to burn down their village and steal their land to create a new city called Yatana. Neela and most of the villagers are murdered, but Kid escapes. In the present, Kid, going by the name Bobby, returns to Yatana and finagles his way into a job at Queenie’s (Ashwini Kalsekar) restaurant and club, which is frequented by Baba and Rana, now the chief of police. The film is packed with well-choreographed hand-to-hand combat fights, thrilling foot and car chases, and a final act that’s absolute mayhem, but before we get there, Kid has to discover his inner strength, which is tied to the legend of Hanuman, a Hindu deity Kid’s mother taught him about and who they worship above all others. This monkey-faced god is the embodiment of wisdom, strength, devotion, courage, and self-discipline—all the characteristics Kid will need to defeat his enemies and avenge his mother and their village, and free the downtrodden from further exploitation from the likes of Baba.
Anna: Dev Patel didn’t play shy with this directorial debut. Often newbies at action flicks give us clunky or underperformed pieces, but that isn’t the case here. For someone who finds physical altercation to be pretty icky, I’m always surprised by how hyped I get in films with well-done fight scenes. Monkey Man also reminded me that I’m a secret fan of wrestling—though I was glad to not be in the audience for the seedy matches depicted here. Kid has a desperation about him that’s at first off-putting to Queenie; however, he soon earns his way into her business and moves through the ranks until he reaches the VIP club, where he intends to unleash his violence. He’s a man of few words. The character is built on Patel’s portrayal of simmering hurt. There’s something so satisfying about revenge in movie form that never plays out the same in real life, and Patel makes us root for the underdog.
Glen: Baba Shakti is a particularly awful villain because he hides behind false piety and preys on people’s religious devotion. He’s the kind of guru who pretends to be humble but uses his influence for all the wrong reasons. With Rana, it’s obvious he’s evil and corrupt, but Baba can fool the masses. It wouldn’t be much of a story if things didn’t go badly for Kid, and indeed, he’s nearly killed, but in an interesting twist, he’s rescued by Alpha (Vipin Sharma), who attends to a sacred temple with her transgender community. Once healed and reinvigorated, Kid discovers Baba has set his sights on acquiring the temple, which provides motivation for Kid to make his final attack. It’s satisfying as heck, but the victory comes at a price, giving this revenge tale even more weight. I fully expect this film to reach cult status.
Anna: It’s one I’d happily watch again. Kid is an endearing character; one I won’t soon stop rooting for. Hats off to Patel. He came out with a real bang in this directorial debut.
New Times Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Comment at [email protected].
