‘Monkey Man’ Rocks!
A strong directorial debut from Dev Patel.
Monkey Man follows a man (Dev Patel) as he seeks revenge on the people who murdered his mother and forced his community off of their land.
This film is a blast to watch! The action set pieces are well choreographed and filmed in a way that makes you feel like you’re in the middle of the action. Instead of relying primarily on guns, we see fighters utilizing any object available — wine bottles, chair legs, even a chunky heel to inflict the most damage possible.
This style of action allows for more creativity in the fight choreography and sound design. While watching a fight toward the end of the film, I was amazed at the diversity of sounds that we hear: the slice of a knife, the thunk of a wooden chair leg, the crack of glass. Each fight sounds so different because the weapons that are available to the characters are different.
The sound design is paired with creative cinematography that helps immerse you in the fight. The camera boldly sweeps in and out of the action and gives us a clear view of the punches and kicks being thrown. Especially in that final sweeping fight, we transition through various rooms and each one looks completely different from the other. And the camera confidently follows the protagonist as he prepares for the next fight.
