Monkey Man – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Monkey Man – Social Frames of Revenge, Heart and Blood

In a world of extravagance, sometimes the grounded tone wins the race.  This statement rings true in many aspects of our social frame, including film.  When you create stories, the spark that ripples through the masses becomes an open wheel of possibilities.  That visual grip comes through perspective but can be truly hardened by circumstance.  Within the bombastic or surreal, the simple threads can lead to greater amazement.  In this review, I look at a new indie/action film.  In a tale of revenge, the story evolves into something more.  Monkey Man might seem like another action movie, but it rises above to strike true strength with heart and blood.

In a campaign of vengeance, a young man will stop at nothing to take down India’s corrupted high society.  With any story built on the revenge motif, it becomes a question of … how do you stand out from predictability?  What the filmmakers do here is craft a character focus story that levels within cultural moments.  In the beginning, we come into this Indian society through the eyes of the main character known as Kid (Dev Patel), as it layers his past through ominous elements of ‘who, what and why’.  Through this open layered directive, the story flashes forward to the present, where we find Kid slowly infiltrating a highly acclaimed hotel run by a mob boss.  From this point, the film moves through its ‘revenge’ motif, slowly building (through visuals) the purpose of Kid’s infiltration: he is aiming to kill those responsible for his mother’s death: the chief of police Rana (Sikandar Kher) and cult/spiritual leader Baba (Makrand Deshpande).  From this point, the directive builds up mood and tension through consequential action scenes, leading to a fallout that veers off into a characterized approach.  As Kid persists along a path of vengeance, his journey becomes a parable of Indian culture.  As the layers of purpose, mysticism and characterization continue, the revenge motif morphs into a deeply woven retrospective of societal conflicts.

Within a crossroads of revenge, Kid begins to reflect on the cause and meaning.  His tale of retribution begins to reverberate with his ongoing interactions, creating a visualized explanation of ‘show not tell’.  Through distinct camera techniques, endearing atmospheric elements and physical mannerisms, the aspect of understanding lifts the common threads to meaningful stature.  With Kid building from his flaws (of his first encounter), we head into a finale that mixes revenge, gritty action, and defined purpose in a sandbox of emotional reverie.  The final confrontations with the corrupt leads to a full circle climax and fulfilling epilogue.  Monkey Man is a revenge/thriller that drives home purpose within the familiar.  If you are a fan of action, revenge tales or want a spin within cultural elements, this is one for you.  It is worth the full price of admission.

Full Score – 4 out of 5 (Full Price)