Monkey Man (2024)

[Winston T. Boogie]

Title: Monkey Man (2024)

Tagline: One small ember can burn down everything.

Genre: Action, Thriller

Director: Dev Patel

Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Makrand Deshpande, Brahim Achabbakhe

Release: 2024-04-05

Runtime: 113

Plot: 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.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Kill Bill meets John Wick in India?

 

[JayDomK]

Judging by the trailer, there will be a lot of fight scenes in the movie. I watch MMA sometimes, so I like this kind of movie. I guess all men like this kind of movies

 

[Jeff Cooper]

I saw the trailer on tv and immediately thought Indian John Wick.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I saw the trailer on tv and immediately thought Indian John Wick.

It does seem kind of like Bollywood doing John Wick but that actually could make this a huge worldwide hit. I have a feeling it could be massive in foreign markets.

 

[Alex...]

 

[Malcolm R]

RT has dropped to 88%

Still pretty good.

 

[Jason_V]

Went to see this last night and the theater was about half full, maybe slightly more than that. I haven't seen any of the John Wick movies, but I know what they're about. Monkey Man was a very "sensory" movie for me, meaning I "felt" I was in India with the characters. I "felt" the sweat dripping off of Dev Patel, "felt" the heat and dirt and grime, "felt" the desperation for some of the people. I used to regularly get into this mindset with movies, but I don't get there a lot anymore, so kudos to Monkey Man in that respect.

There's a lot to like in Monkey Man, assuming violence and blood is your jam (and a general downtrodden attitude...this isn't a feel good movie, even at the end). What it does less well is remember the audience isn't versed in India politics and the social structure. The screenplay adds these pieces little by little, but it confused me for a long time about what was happening and why. Even now, I couldn't judge how right or wrong the depictions in the movie are; I have to trust the screenplay knows what it's doing. It drops us into the story and relies on flashbacks to give Patel's character meaning, which is an issue for me.

I enjoyed it while it was playing and am enjoying the score now. But do I need to see this one again? Probably not.

 

[Tino]

I haven't seen any of the John Wick movies,

Curious as to why?

 

[Jason_V]

Curious as to why?

They always came out in the theater at the wrong time for me? My husband isn't into gore and blood, so I know I'd be watching alone? (Also, anything with a pet being mistreated-regardless of a good or bad outcome-is a no go for him.) I dunno...I know those are flimsy, at best, excuses. But I just never had a burning desire to watch.

 

[Tino]

They always came out in the theater at the wrong time for me? My husband isn't into gore and blood, so I know I'd be watching alone? (Also, anything with a pet being mistreated-regardless of a good or bad outcome-is a no go for him.) I dunno...I know those are flimsy, at best, excuses. But I just never had a burning desire to watch.

They are over the top action films with cartoon violence. I don’t recall much blood or gore. And the one pet death is off screen.

I personally think they are action masterpieces. I suggest you try them out some time. From your tastes, I think you’ll enjoy them tremendously.

Back to Monkey (Minkey) Man, I think it looks very interesting and I plan on checking it out soon.

 

[bujaki]

They are over the top action films with cartoon violence. I don’t recall much blood or gore. And the one pet death is off screen.

I personally think they are action masterpieces. I suggest you try them out some time. From your tastes, I think you’ll enjoy them tremendously.

Back to Minkey Man, I think it looks very interesting and I plan on checking it out soon.

Is this the Man from Minsky's?

 

[Keith Cobby]

I liked the first two JW films but I didn't see them theatrically. Will give MM a go when it streams. Many people are turned off by violence and harming animals, my wife wouldn't continue after the pet death scene.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

They always came out in the theater at the wrong time for me? My husband isn't into gore and blood, so I know I'd be watching alone? (Also, anything with a pet being mistreated-regardless of a good or bad outcome-is a no go for him.) I dunno...I know those are flimsy, at best, excuses. But I just never had a burning desire to watch.

Well, I would say if you like action films, skip the first John Wick and go directly to any of the others. Basically, the reason they exist is the highly choreographed action scenes which are done with a great deal of inspiration and skill by a top notch team of stunt people. These films are essentially tributes to stunt people by stunt people. The first film is, to me anyway, the least of the series. It is the only film, as far as I recall, where they use the death of an animal, a puppy, to set Wick off on his endless odyssey of revenge. Really, that's all you need to know about that and the puppy murder is not shown onscreen. As an animal lover myself, I dislike when they use this as a device, feel it was used stupidly in the first Wick film, and that they could have written about a million other things as the reason Wick decides to go on his revenge spree.

However, the next 3 films really up the ante on action and the action sequences because, as with the Mission Impossible series, each film is trying to outdo the last. I find these sequels a lot of fun but have no reason to visit the first film again. Also, the way I gained an appreciation for the series was watching a documentary on the making of the films and hearing what a giant film buff the director is and what he was attempting to do.

If you like action pictures, just skip the first film, dive into the second, and see what you think. The series really expands the universe in films 2-4 and it becomes much more of a James Bond type series. Also, I have never been a big fan of Reeves acting, but in the Wick series, well, he is perfectly cast.

 

[Tino]

Well, I would say if you like action films, skip the first John Wick and go directly to any of the others. Basically, the reason they exist is the highly choreographed action scenes which are done with a great deal of inspiration and skill by a top notch team of stunt people. These films are essentially tributes to stunt people by stunt people. The first film is, to me anyway, the least of the series. It is the only film, as far as I recall, where they use the death of an animal, a puppy, to set Wick off on his endless odyssey of revenge. Really, that's all you need to know about that and the puppy murder is not shown onscreen. As an animal lover myself, I dislike when they use this as a device, feel it was used stupidly in the first Wick film, and that they could have written about a million other things as the reason Wick decides to go on his revenge spree.

However, the next 3 films really up the ante on action and the action sequences because, as with the Mission Impossible series, each film is trying to outdo the last. I find these sequels a lot of fun but have no reason to visit the first film again. Also, the way I gained an appreciation for the series was watching a documentary on the making of the films and hearing what a giant film buff the director is and what he was attempting to do.

If you like action pictures, just skip the first film, dive into the second, and see what you think. The series really expands the universe in films 2-4 and it becomes much more of a James Bond type series. Also, I have never been a big fan of Reeves acting, but in the Wick series, well, he is perfectly cast.

** JOHN WICK SPOILERS**

I completely disagree with you regarding the first film. If you thinK the death of the puppy was the catalyst for his returning to the world of violence, you missed its actual meaning. It’s much deeper than that. It was not the death per se, but what the puppy represented. And the film sets up the Wickverse brilliantly.

 

[Patrick Sun]

MM was a very visceral movie-viewing experience, with a lot of fight violence and wacky chase theatrics. I just never got the idea the main character ever had any exit strategy while pursuing his mission with flashbacks to his youth fueling that mission. So, kind of an odd structure with mostly revenge driving the action. It was mostly okay, but worth a matinee if you don't have A-List with AMC or whatver Regal's similar monthly movie viewing subscription.

 

[YANG]

Kill Bill meets John Wick in India?

this is going to be a more...

...“Indian Wick” of CQB.
​

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

** JOHN WICK SPOILERS**

I completely disagree with you regarding the first film. If you thinK the death of the puppy was the catalyst for his returning to the world of violence, you missed its actual meaning. It’s much deeper than that. It was not the death per se, but what the puppy represented. And the film sets up the Wickverse brilliantly.

Well, I just was trying to let Jason know that it is only the first film that has that moment with the puppy. Sure the puppy was just acting, still, I would kill everyone involved in a puppy death and all of their relatives, friends, coworkers, and their barista. Because that is how you handle something like that.

I'm not knocking the film, it has lots of high quality action scenes so, don't think I was saying it is a bad film, I did revisit it after seeing the documentary and liked it more than I did the first time through, I just like the other three films much, much more. I really thought they were great.

Yes, to a degree, the first film tells us who Wick is and why he is on his killing spree. Yes, I know why the puppy was so important to him, it is not just that he is a dog lover. It may be my own personal reaction to that moment, and I just feel there are two million other things they could have used to trigger Wick that I would have preferred/found better. In all honesty, it was the only thing from the entire Wick series I did not care for. I recommend the films, think they are excellent action films, and find Reeves really great in them and he is not an actor I tend to like.

I did not explain the story of the puppy because I did not think that was Jason's issue, he did not want to watch something that involved violence against an animal. I was just telling him how to avoid that bit. Plus I do think, and I like this about the series, that the next couple films you could watch on their own and they hold up as stand alone films, they are that good.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I much prefer the second film (Rome). For me they are:
2
1
3
4 (superfluous, too long, much more of the same)