Kid is a young Indian who, wearing a monkey mask and under the pseudonym Monkey Man, earns a meager living in illegal martial arts fights taking place in Yatana, an imaginary town in the country of the maharajas. However, he manages to get hired as a handyman at Queenie, a select club frequented by the rich and powerful of the region, who come there to have fun and find drugs and prostitutes. Kid quickly becomes indispensable there but, through various
flashbacks
evoking his childhood and the tragic fate of his mother, we understand that he has a very specific objective...
India produces action films in spades, some of which manage, sometimes secretly, to find their way to France via festivals or DVDs. But even rarer are the big Hollywood productions to venture into the lands of Mahatma Gandhi, as this blockbuster does, co-financed by Universal or Monkeypaw, the production house of Jordan Peele (the director of “Get out” and “ Nope"). Dev Patel, of British nationality, but born to parents of Indian origin, goes all out, and doesn't hold back with the homeland and culture of his ancestors!
A reference to “John Wick”
Because the Kid, aka Monkey Man, whom he plays, must fight against criminals, corrupt politicians, crooked police officers and suffer the class contempt of the privileged who barely tolerate his existence. We understand that he comes from a peasant caste living in harmony with nature. This fight, much harder than the fistfights he practices in the ring, will bring him into contact with other outcasts of society, transgender people. We understand better why the film, which was due to arrive in theaters in India on April 19, right on the day of the start of voting in the legislative elections, is still waiting for its release visa there.
For the pure action lover, “Monkey Man” will be a delicacy. Placed under the august reference of “John Wick” (the film saga with Keanu Reeves is mentioned by name by a character), the feature film also evokes the cornerstones of Asian fighting cinema, such as the Thai “Ong-Bak” (2003) or the Indonesian “The Raid” (2011). Works that Dev Patel, 33, black belt and international taekwondo champion, has certainly seen, who here delivers a truly striking first film.
Dev Patel, much more than a slum millionaire
And it is to his credit to present himself in this way, in a register where we did not expect him. Because, for the vast majority of French people, Dev Patel is above all the incredibly clever and resourceful Jamal, from the film “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), a kid from the slums who arrives in the final of the Indian version of “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008). Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ? »
But we forget that before this film which revealed him to the general public, when he was only 18 years old, Patel had already caught the eye of the public thanks to the first two seasons of the series “Skins », where he played one of the main characters. Riding the success of "Slumdog Millionaire", the actor then continued his career mainly in cinema, appearing in "The Last Airbender" (2010), a failed fantasy film by M. Night Shyamalan, "Chappie" (2015), science fiction with Hugh Jackman, or the much more successful “Lion” (2016), in which he opposite Nicole Kidman.
New change of direction, with the astonishing “The Green Knight” (2021), a fantasy inspired by the legend of the Knights of the Round Table, in which Patel plays Sir Gawain, for an unusual result to be discovered on Prime Video. Enough to build up your muscles, literally and figuratively, before this very strong “Monkey Man”.
Editor's note:
4/5
"Monkey man",
American action film by and with Dev Patel, and also Pitobash Tripathy, Sharlto Copley, Vipin Sharma... (2h).