Monkey Man

Okay, after Ghostbusters, I had to review this because this movie was just insane. Imagine a John Wick style revenge movie with Spike Spiegel as the main character saved by a church of transgender people. Then, you have the absolute insanity that is Monkey Man because, legit, this is my favorite movie this year. Awesome action, great character work, and a villain who's delightfully hateable by all means. It's stellar and bonkers in the best ways. Let's review Monkey Man.

PLOT: Transgender church saves hobo from the government.

This movie has the most bonkers plot imagineable, but it is a good thing for an action-focused movie with a main character like this. It's heavily political in nature, focusing on the corruption of a religious leader in India that sends a police force to wipe out a village attempting to keep him from buying their land. This results in Dev Patel's character growing up and attempting to take out the people who killed his mother. While I don't want to exactly spoil most of it, he is saved by a transgender group located within an ancient temple, whom tie into the story as a result of current political tensions in India. While I won't comment on the political aspect, it plays out well in the story as it was discussing this fairly early on. It's never played for laughs and takes itself seriously in critiquing the situation. The only time it's played for laughs is when the action ramps up in the best way possible. The ending is a nonstop fight scene with so much going on it's impossible to take in. Watch it for that!

CHARACTERS: Likeable and unlikeable

Dev Patel's lead is an immediately likeable protagonist as we discover him as a underdog in the cage fighting scene with a monkey mask. He builds himself up the entire movie, even getting a training arc halfway through. We see his tragic background throughout, building our connection with him. It also makes us hate the villains even more as we understand what they did to him and his family. It's tragic yet rewarding as we build closer and closer to a finale. The side characters who ally themselves with Patel are all extremely likeable and acted well. Sharlto Copley steals his scenes as a cage announcer akin to Bruce Campbell from Spider-Man, which I recently saw. The characters are acted well and extremely well-written.

SHOTS: Stunning!

This film is incredibly well-shot and demonstrates clear understanding of what makes excellent action. While some people might not get into it as much, I found the camerawork to be a strength, showing us as much of the action as possible while also conveying a story all the meanwhile. It feels very inspired by things like Batman comics or Cowboy Bebop, keeping the color usage and shadows as tools to enhance the story. It's beautiful and well-done.

SOUND: Mileage may very.

I found this movie's music to be exhillarating and very fitting for this sort of movie, but can understand those who struggle to listen here. It's a person-to-person deal, but I found this soundtrack to be an absolutely stunning compilation of neatly-composed tracks and exciting music local to the area that services the story well. Great all-around!

WRITING: With action movies, it's rarely a strength.

This movie holds an exception to that for me. It's vicious in its critique of modern government, refusing to say "Maybe they're not so bad". The government is beyond corrupt and shown clearly as the villains against the backdrop of modern India, which is currently going through a heavy political situation. However, it's sharp and poignant and does a great job on balancing political commentary with great action dialogue and clever character work. It's excellent overall, even for those of you who might disagree with the overall message (I personally don't). The message also plays into the theme of the main character, constantly wearing a mask to hide his identity both literally and physically. It plays very well into the transgender characters of this movie who reflect him in many ways. It's so well-done and tasteful.

CONS: Okay, pacing is kinda weak.

I admit that I was kind of getting burnt out by the end of the movie. So much happens that you feel exhausted by the last 10 minutes. If you're watching this at home, be prepared to feel a bit antsy in the last bit. But, if a movie keeps you engaged for 90% of the runtime, that's better than 40-50% of its runtime.

LITTLE THINGS: The production issues!

This movie was produced by several people and had a lot of issues before the theatrical release. It was originally set to be produced by Thunder Road Films, who sold it to Netflix. This was expected to be a digital release only. Netflix, seeing the political commentary and current climate of India, refused to release it and quietly shelved it. Jordan Peele, somehow getting to watch the film, saw potential and bought away the rights to it under Monkeypaw Productions. He convinced Universal to give it a theatrical release and the film finally released in April. God, this film deserved it!

VERDICT: A great film with heavy-handed messages!

This film is so proud of its identity and refuses to ever back down on what it has to say. Despite being a John Wick-style revenge plot, it is also a commentary on current political situations in a country not similar to my own. It's clever, it's well-shot, and it deserves to be watched by everyone. It has a great message about belonging to your own people and being comfortable in your own skin. Give it a shot if you haven't already, you won't regret it.

SCORE: 9/10