Monkey Man Packs a Punch Across Theaters

Douglas Salter

Star actor Dev Patel made his directorial debut with “Monkey Man.” Produced by horror director Jordan Peele, Patel’s film tells an amazing revenge story about a man who is out to kill the man that murdered his mother. The title comes from the character’s identity. When he was young, Kid learned about an Indian legend named Hanuman who was a Hindu legend that was part monkey, part man. The story inspired Kid. 

As an adult he fights in an underground boxing league and wears a monkey mask dedicated to his favorite story that his mother told him. Big fans of the John Wick franchise will enjoy this movie because of the amount of brutal action that comes from its protagonist. Though the action is not for the faint of heart as the film is rated R for severe blood and gore sequences.

We first see a flashback that reveals that Kid and his Mom lived on a sacred land that was taken over by government forces. In refusal to leave her home, Kid’s mother was killed by police chief Rana Singh. Kid was hiding in the house and Singh did not know he was there. After he killed Kid’s mom, Singh burned down the house. Kid ran for safety but not before trying to save his Mom whose body was burning. When Kid tried to grab her, he got horrifying burns on his hands, which gave him permanent damage.

Kid becomes a man that tries to achieve his one goal and will let nothing stop him from accomplishing that. He meets friends and even gets an inside job along the way that helps him gain information. Kid never stops pushing forward but does get sent back to square one after becoming a wanted fugitive for fighting. 

After the downward spiral, Kid goes on a spiritual journey. He goes back and resurfaces that day that his mother died through a hallucinogenic experience. He meets more friends through his spiritual journey that see him as an inspiration. All this allows Kid to truly remember who he is and what he is fighting for. He even helps out the needy and improves his skills as a boxer. 

He is able to return to the underground boxing league and dominate as a fighter. He even has someone place a bet on him and with all the winnings, he gives it all back to the community that helped him regain his mentality. He goes off to the city to go find his man, the chief of police. Being a wanted criminal, that was not exactly a hard thing to do. They found each other and engaged in a fight to the death. Using his new fighting skills, Kid was able to easily kill Singh and he finally was able to avenge his mother and feel peace in his heart.

Overall, the movie was a fun watch. There was lots of action and even some wonderful character development. I give Monkey Man 3.5/5 stars.