Cast:
Dev Patel (Kid/Bobby/Monkey Man), Sharlto Copley (Tiger), Pitobash (Alphonso), Vipin Sharma (Alpha), Sikandar Kher (Rana), Sobhita Dhulipala (Sita), Ashwini Kalsekar (Queenie), Adithi Kalkunte (Neela), and Makarand Deshpande (Baba Shakti) Directed by Dev Patel.
Review:
“I think the action genre has sometimes been abused by the system. I wanted to give it real soul, real trauma, real pain and you guys deserve that. And I wanted to infuse it with a little bit of culture.”
Really, for once you have to thank Netflix. No, seriously, this was a film that could have been relegated to the lands of streaming, because they bought the worldwide rights to the film when it was completed in 2021. Fortunately, they didn't have the guts to actually release it because it turns out calling it "John Wick in Mumbai" is not giving the movie the credit it deserves in reaching audiences. Jordan Peele saw the film and helped to get it released under Universal Pictures in acquisition. Of course, all of this undersells the toughness that came in actually filming the movie, where Patel broke his hand on the first action scene filmed, which was one of a string of injuries to befall the production. Patel wrote the story for the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee. I should have figured that Patel had an appreciation of Enter the Dragon before seeing this film, because it does become apparently by the end that Patel wanted to make a movie that meshed the wide variety of old movies (such as the aforementioned Bruce Lee classic) he had seen to go with inspiration from the Hindu deity Hanuman and tales his grandfather had told him about as a child. So yes, you can thank Netflix for having no guts to release a movie so that better people can swoop in and believe it would work in a theater instead.
Sure, there is probably something to be said about the film in its ideas on certain types of living when it comes to India that relates to now or something, but the film's heart is entirely on making a kickass movie of the underdog. At a crisp 121-minute runtime is an achievement by Patel as director and actor that shows worthwhile passion in the right places that has the marking of one's soul to make for a distinct action experience. There is that certain look one sees when it comes to his eyes and expression for a good part of his scenes, regardless of if it involves a fight scene (there are a few of them, but the major ones are spread out) or not. That look is one of drive, one that is ready to take whatever hit he thinks is coming next, which is plenty of them when considering the scenes spent with a monkey mask and the eventual turn into mythic hero (really that turn of hero among the underclass could be seen in films beyond action flicks with the genre of the Western, arguably). In a film packed with seemingly everyone wanting to make a hustle, his hustle is all-consuming vengeance that is quite believable when it comes to a head. His pursuit is our pursuit, and the action that comes with it makes it all the more entertaining because it is paced so effectively. Copley is only in the film for those scenes involving fights in the ring, but even with that he is quite enjoyably in his showmanship charm. Kher and Deshpande each make for compelling threats in terms of the power they represent in their public face that aren't merely just people to be taken down in a single swoop. Their presence in power and how they convey it makes the film all the more involving when it comes to the pursuit of ass-kicking. The rest of the actors do pretty well to fill the landscape of manipulators and the manipulated that make for a worthwhile environment to watch the furor take place, whether that involves a bit of a relief from Pitobash or that quiet tension in Dhulipala. In the film's eyes, when it comes to the structure of power, the one big threat to that is someone with none of it left to lose. When the action sequences come into focus and blast one's senses away, it reminds one that the movies really can be fun when one sees the soul behind it in execution and intent, particularly with its ending that makes it come full circle with the best of respect. Regardless of what Patel plans to do as a director (in terms of genre), that buildup of tension and intensity is one to see for itself in a theater. All in all, Monkey Man is a wonderful winner for the viewer and for the ones who get to see it, particularly in a theater.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment