Monkey Man Review: Dev Patel's Brutal Quest for Vengeance
An anonymous man (Dev Patel) targets a crime syndicate and religious leader (Makarand Deshpande) for the death of his mother (Adithi Kalkunte).
Dev Patel punches, kicks, claws, and literally bites his way through repugnant enemies in a brutal actioner that runs overly long. Monkey Man addresses socioeconomic and sexual oppression with a bone-crushing, laborious delivery steeped in Hindu religious themes. The film can be too easily described as John Wick in India without the guns, but Patel will kick your ass and break a foot doing it. He packs a visceral wallop in his feature directorial debut but goes overboard with good intentions. A dependence on excessive flashbacks and melodramatic close-ups strains patience between the savage beatdowns.
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