‘Monkey Man’ – Dev Patel’s Directorial Debut has ‘John Wick’ Vibes
Dev Patel’s ferocious and bloody directorial debut has a 91% RT rating. Take one last look at Monkey Man before it drops in theaters next week.
Monkey Man follows a man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother. Crime bosses that continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless. The movie was originally set to release on Netflix. After seeing it, Jordan Peele convinced Universal to pick it up for a theatrical release. That’s a promising endorsement.
I can’t believe this was supposed to be a direct-to-streaming release. Thank you, Jordan Peele.
The involvement of underground crime and hard-hitting violence gives it a John Wick feel – it’s hard not to compare new action releases to the game changer. Along with introducing a new world, the trailer teases supernatural possibilities with the connection to Hanuman that could shake things up.
This behind-the-scenes look shows how some of the action was filmed.
Monkey Man Cast & Details
Dev Patel is directing and starring in Monkey Man; he also wrote the story. The cast also includes Sharlto Copley (District 9), Sobhita Dhulipala (Made in Heaven), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm), Vipin Sharma (Hotel Mumbai), Ashwini Kalsekar (Ek Tha Hero), Adithi Kalkunte (Hotel Mumbai), Sikandar Kher (Aarya) and Makarand Deshpande (RRR).
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Monkey Man premieres in theaters on April 5th.
