When corrupt leaders murder his mother and continue to victimize the poor and powerless, a veritable nobody unleashes a campaign of vengeance against them as "Monkey Man!"
It's the directorial debut of actor Dev Patel...
and what a debut! In online features, Patel speaks of his love of the action genre, also and of mixing and mashing elements from multiple genres together. It's that exotic combination that makes for an elevation of the action movie to something other than else! It tries to defy convention for most of its run-time until it gives in to an inevitable, somewhat cliche-laden "one-man-army" conclusion, but in glorious fashion! Only to make some unusual choices to keep things fresh in an otherwise worn lane.
Dev Patel himself does amazing double duty as both director and star and throws himself into every scene with barely a frame wasted even in a movie running two hours long. Other high points include the score and even some well-placed bits of humor. It all results in a tough action thriller that does nearly everything well, earning an r rating from the MPAA mainly for its violence, but also some skin and foul language, while earning an A-minus and the coveted "Bonaduce Approved" checkmark from me!
So if you're a fan of the action genre but are bored with all the business-as-usual that normally drives those flicks, check out "Monkey Man!" But no need to stick around for a mid- or end-credits scene, because it doesn't have any.
Monkey Man
MPAA: R
Running Time: 2 hrs 1 min
Genres: Action, Thriller
