Dev Patel Seeks Bloody, Brutal Revenge In The Monkey Man Trailer
BY RAFAEL MOTAMAYOR/MARCH 21, 2024 11:03 AM EST
Dev Patel is one of the finest actors of his generation and, when he announced that his directorial debut would be an action film inspired by everything from "Oldboy" and Indonesian action cinema to John Wick and its subsequent remake, his project became one of the year's most anticipated releases, "Monkey Man."
"Monkey Man" may look similar to "John Wick," with brutal hand-to-hand combat and a revenge narrative, yet it offers much more. Patel stars as Kid, an Indian metropolis native working at an underground fight club where he loses for cash and then decides to fight back against malignant elite who both murdered his mother and oppress working-class residents systemically; thus taking on Hanuman from Hindu epic "Ramayana." His nickname becomes known as Monkey Man and inspires action across India and internationally.
At its premiere at SXSW film festival, this movie received thunderous applause and praise - our own Jacob Hall even said it "the highest highs are frankly extraordinary", though many could feel energy of first time directors; nonetheless it showed promise as both action stars with potential and great fight sequence directors capable of crafting incredible fight scenes. Finally, its latest trailer just dropped and you can check it out below to witness just how amazing this film truly is.
The rise of an action director and star
"Monkey Man"'s journey to cinematic release has not been an easy one, as Dev Patel recounted after its premiere at SXSW: "We faced catastrophe every day!" Patel revealed: "From India and Indonesia starting shooting this film was meant to include an amazing Hollywood stunt team - until all those borders closed up on us!
"Monkey Man" had initially been planned for release through Netflix; however, Universal and Jordan Peele made an excellent decision by purchasing it and giving a wide theatrical release that can showcase both its stunning stunt team work as well as its provocative yet controversial story line to an even broader audience.
This latest trailer for "Monkey Man" highlights two distinct aspects: firstly its timely social commentary as it directly criticises India's current, right-wing Hindutva government; secondly its thrilling fight sequences. While critics may question some aspects of Patel's work (IGN's Siddhant Adlakha called his film's message "a well-intentioned approach that ends up shockingly misguided") it shows clearly he knows how to draw upon some of action cinema's finest genre to produce hard hitting fight scenes that impact viewers' senses of reality.
"Monkey Man" will take to theaters starting April 5, 2024.