“Monkey Man” is Dev Patel’s first full-length feature as a director, so it was exciting to see what his vision was for the action-filled and politically driven film. 

Producer Jordan Peele, director of “Get Out” (2017), saved the film after Netflix removed it from its release schedule. “Monkey Man” transferred hands to Universal, which allowed for it to have a theatrical release. 

In short, “Monkey Man” is an action thriller about a man, played by Patel, who seeks revenge against the men who killed his mother and destroyed his village. 

The film feels like a directorial debut, which is not a bad thing — it just means that there is a lot of room for improvement, especially in the screenwriting department.

The screenplay written by Paul Angunawela, John Collee and Patel has the same story structure as most other action thrillers. However, it adds political problems in India that most people in the West do not know about. It touches on violence against women, transgender identity, religious violence and class differences in India, but it does so in a way that is quickly forgettable. 

The film wants to tackle so many subject matters, but it does not realize that moving subject to subject restrains the others from being fully fleshed out. In a car chase sequence, the cuts change from them racing to homeless people living in the streets, but the film just brushes that off and never brings it up again. 

“Monkey Man” argues that religion can be used to incite violence, and even though that is one of the main reasons the protagonist fights, the story never expands on the idea enough for it to feel important to the plot. The protagonist’s development and the topics it attempts to address feel too complex for the amount of time allotted.

The other problem with the writing is the underdevelopment of the supporting characters and their storylines. Alphonso (Pintobash) served as the comic relief character of the film, and though both him and the protagonist are wanted by the police, he completely disappears from the second two-thirds of the film. 

Alongside Alphonso, Sita’s (Sobhita Dhulipala) character served as a catalyst for Patel’s character to launch himself to fight the antagonists. Her character is important because she represents how women fall victim to the repressive patriarchy, but her screentime minimizes this fact. She only shows up once again at the very end, but it feels like the screenwriters remembered that they had written her at the beginning and decided to put her in again. 

The trend continues with Patel’s character development following a rushed trajectory. He begins as a working-class man with nothing to his name, losing every boxing match he participates in. Later, after being shot by the police and taken by a community of trans women that help him recover, he has a religious awakening that leads him to realize his potential, making him invincible in the third act. 

His invincibility does not feel earned, so the ending when he fearlessly fought numerous villains felt unsatisfactory. There was no struggle and thus no interest in whether he was going to succeed or not. 

Even though “Monkey Man” has its downs, it also has its virtues. Technically speaking, the cinematography and editing blend so well in the action scenes, where it quickly cuts to show the thrill. The camera is mostly hand-held, so this makes a lot of the shots very dynamic, as if we were moving with the characters. 

One of the most impressive shots happens when Patel rolls down the floor to avoid any bullets, and the camera also rolls, adding to the adrenaline of what is being conveyed. The film does not drag at all because the editing is so seamless, and the shots flow well together. If it was not for these sequences, the film would be boring, but it’s instead filled with heart-racing moments that keep the viewer at the edge of their seat.

“Monkey Man”’s costume design was also impressive, highlighting traditional Indian attire. The Hijra, the community of transgender women living exiled from society, show their beautiful dresses, representing them being part of a “third gender.” When they show up to fight the villains alongside the protagonists, they are wearing warrior costumes that shine because of the rhinestones all over them. Clearly, Patel has a love for his culture, and he wanted to spotlight it through the costumes worn. 

Patel could potentially be the next action star. His grit and determination in his acting show he has the factors necessary to be the next big action star. He simply needs a better script that showcases his full acting potential. He works with what he has, but this is just the beginning of Patel’s takeover in the action genre, if he chooses that path.

Even though “Monkey Man” has a lot of problems, the film is still enjoyable and easy to follow, with a lot of interesting ideas. This work shows Patel’s potential as a director and screenwriter if he continues to grow and learns how to create well-rounded supporting characters. His ideas are well thought out, but he needs to know how to fit everything into 120 minutes, and that means focusing on one or two topics at a time.