Monkey Man: Dev Patel is Monkey Man/Bobby/Kid, he competes in an underground fight club in the Indian City of Yatana, his job is to get beaten up by the "Champion", he gets paid extra if enough blood is knocked out of him, but he also seeks revenge for the murder of his mother and most of his village during a land grab facilitated by a corrupt policeman. He infiltrates an exclusive club/brothel working his way up from the kitchen to becoming a waiter. Knowing that some of his targets will be there. In some ways he's like John Wicks, he even adopts a stray dog. Teaching it to deliver his weapons. He more closely resembles Martin Feeney from Black '47 though, his targets go beyond the cop who is now Police Chief, they include a fake fakir, Baba Shakti who is stirring up religious nationalism which benefits his henchman Adesh Joshi a political leader who is set to take power in an upcoming election. All three were involved in the massacre of his people, Shakti building a factory on the site if the village. Bobby is confronting a system of power and privilege. His first assault on the trio goes awry and he is taken in by Hijra who live at a Temple of Ardhanarishvara. The Hijra community, transgender, intersex, and eunuch people are also being persecuted by Baba Shakti acolytes. Bobby licks his wounds and prepares for a return engagement.
The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed but also extremely violent, nobody could survive many of the blows inflicted, these are not sham fights. The bouts in the underground club whilst bloody pale in comparison. In flashbacks we observe Monkey Man's idyllic life as a child before the massacre which unfolds in brutal detail as his clan and mother are brutalised, shot and burned alive. His thirst for vengeance is understandable as is the way he deals with the minions of his targets. Bobby has always been inspired by Hanuman, the Monkey God, as he goes through a hallucinogenic experience he literally becomes an avatar of Hanuman. A tale of struggle against injustice and corruption where people refuse to accept the role of victims, a story which seems to be an allegory of modern day India where Hindi Nationalism prevails, and corruption flourishes and the poor can be further dispossessed. Co-Written, Directed and Produced by Dev Patel. 8/10.
The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed but also extremely violent, nobody could survive many of the blows inflicted, these are not sham fights. The bouts in the underground club whilst bloody pale in comparison. In flashbacks we observe Monkey Man's idyllic life as a child before the massacre which unfolds in brutal detail as his clan and mother are brutalised, shot and burned alive. His thirst for vengeance is understandable as is the way he deals with the minions of his targets. Bobby has always been inspired by Hanuman, the Monkey God, as he goes through a hallucinogenic experience he literally becomes an avatar of Hanuman. A tale of struggle against injustice and corruption where people refuse to accept the role of victims, a story which seems to be an allegory of modern day India where Hindi Nationalism prevails, and corruption flourishes and the poor can be further dispossessed. Co-Written, Directed and Produced by Dev Patel. 8/10.