Monkey Man (2024), directed by Dev Patel, stars Dev Patel, Pitobash, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhuilpala, Sharlto Copley, Makrand Deshpande, Ashwini Kalsekar, Vipin Sharma, and Adithi Kalkunte. The film follows the story of a mysterious young man (Patel) who spends his days wearing a monkey mask and battling in an underground Mumbai fight club. It’s soon revealed to the audience that this is all a part of the man’s plot to get closer to the powerful political leaders who murdered his mother. The mysterious man only known as “The Kid” proceeds to unleash a fury of violence in the name of not only revenge but the impoverished underclass of a society ruled by merciless and violent leaders.

Although Dev Patel gives an impressive physical performance that could cement him as a future action star, nothing else about his performance is particularly memorable. Unfortunately, that goes for the rest of the cast as well. That being said, no one is particularly awful, they just play stereotypical characters who struggle to define themselves in even the smallest ways. Even Sharlto Copley who stands out in almost every role falls to the wayside within a script that doesn’t feel remotely interested in including him. Why waste money on an actor like Copley for such an insignificant role as this? Maybe he was doing Patel a favor, but either way, it feels like a huge missed opportunity. 

The film’s structure is simple, following a plot similar to The Lion King (1994) but elevated with bone-crunching action. Although this action is well-choreographed and feels authentic, there’s nothing here that elevates it above the films it is seemingly inspired by. After the release of four John Wick films as well as its countless copycats, Monkey Man feels like it arrived three years late. Along with the film’s general redundancy, it plays things straight in terms of tone which gives off the feeling that the writers were taking this material way too seriously. With such unoriginal material, it seems obvious to attempt to spice up the script through comedy, satire, or subversive events/writing. Unfortunately, the filmmakers didn’t seem to get that memo.

The only element that sets this film apart from its genre peers is its unique setting. It does a great job of focusing in on the unique and sometimes jarring (to American audiences) aspects of India’s culture. It also occasionally implements the styles of Eastern action cinema, something that most Western audiences may not have yet experienced. That being said, I would never show this to someone as an example of top-tier Hong Kong action films. This film’s use of the style is simply too watered down and unimpressive for that kind of recommendation. 

The film is also just far too long when considering how little new it has to offer. You just feel like you’re going through the motions when watching the action. There are few stakes and the barebones exposition makes it difficult to care about the characters. Fortunately, the film is saved from complete boredom by the unique cinematography which adds a level of grimy desperation to the film’s proceedings. 

Overall, this is an extremely forgettable action film that feels like yet another lazy attempt to capture the magic of the John Wick franchise. Granted, there’s nothing particularly terrible here, it just lacks any form of inspiration or originality. This is kind of what I mean when I tell people that the worst thing a movie can be is boring. That being said, I do imagine there will be a decent amount of people who hold this film on a much higher pedestal than myself considering that my dislike has more to do with originality than anything else. If you’re not burnt out on the formula like myself, you’ll most likely find it worth the two hours. Everyone else, steer clear. C