REVIEW: ‘Monkey Man’ has great action but mangled storytelling

There are plenty of primate movie titles this year it seems. March had “Kong x Godzilla,” April has “Monkey Man” and May brings “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”

The middle film isn’t actually about a monkey, though. Instead, the film centers on the character Kid (Dev Patel), a young man living in Yatana, a fictional metropolis in India. Struggling to get by, he manages to earn money as a fighter in an underground boxing ring, where he dons an ape mask.

His true objective, though, is putting himself in a position where he can get revenge on those who destroyed his village and killed his mother. His main two targets are a corrupt guru (Makarand Deshpande) and a crooked police chief (Sikandar Kher). But pulling such a thing off is a difficult, dangerous task.

“Monkey Man” is a film with some really brutal, entertaining fight scenes that are quite memorable. The rest of the film, meanwhile, is… there. OK, that’s a little harsh. “Monkey Man” certainly isn’t only built on the back of its action moments, but its narrative structure does end up leaving a lot to be desired.

That is especially true in the movie’s first act. It’s a really messy approach with an awkward build-up to the event that leads to the movie’s middle. There’s a bit of a rushed introduction to the protagonist and it’s hard to get a sense of who he is as he plans his revenge plot. It’s a chaotic, roughly paced section of the movie with some needle-drops that don’t fit too well.

The second act of the film does give some depth to the protagonist, and it’s a plus to see him confront his past and create a stronger resolve for quest for justice. However, while his personal goals are well documented, the film never quite manages to truly tie his own quest to the subject of wealth inequality.

It’s something that is touched on here and there, as abysmal living conditions of the poor are shown and discussed. There’s also the factor of religious persecution that’s in the film, too. Yet they only seem to give slightly more motivation to the character, rather than him becoming an anti-greed symbol for the people or anything similar.

At the end of the day, the film still comes across more like a personal revenge tale, leaving the social commentary to not have much of an impact. As a result, the film’s climax taking place during a fictional election in a fictional city doesn’t add all that much gravity or stakes to the overall situation.

With all that said, the movie is pretty damn entertaining. Many of the combat scenes are ferocious and raw, with an audience feeling every blow that lands. It’s a bloodlusty type of film, with each fight being vicious. It’s very stylized as well, with unique shots, enhanced by the great use of color, especially red.

As for the titular Monkey Man the film’s center, he’s fine as the film’s protagonist. He’s somewhat reminiscent of the character John Wick, so much so that they even reference that franchise. However, it’s not quite an apples-to-apples comparison. He’s a one-man wrecking crew, but doesn’t bring the history or skill as an elite hitman.

Instead he’s a more rugged type of fighter driven by a great deal of grief and pain. It also helps that Patel, an Oscar and SAG Award nominee, is quite good on screen. While the writing around the character and his connection to conflict could have been stronger, Patel is good on screen, especially during scenes where he’s training and on a spiritual journey.

“Monkey Man” is an action flick that’s good, but isn’t in the upper echelon of the genre. Its storytelling has a few issues and its social commentary could have been better incorporated. However, it really delivers where it counts and Patel adds personality to the picture in the lead role. 3.35 out of 5.