Monkey Man

Look. The flashback sequences are practically hammered over your head. The pacing dips into a lull in the middle (honestly i like that segment but i can see why it's criticized). The story can come across as by-the-numbers. For all intents and purposes, this is an obvious directorial debut and has all the pitfalls of being one. That said. Monkey Man, to me, is a perfect movie. Monkey Man is scrappy and hungry in a way that is fresh and exciting in the landscape right now. It's sleek and stylish, but rowdy and rough around the edges, refusing to hesitate and become more palettable. No slobber, blood, or guts are barred. I try not to let the circumstances around a movies production impact my opinion too much, but what other director is breaking their bones and infecting themselves crawling around a filthy bathroom floor for a movie that barely scratched out of a Netflix archive somewhere? And what other movie is arguing that violence is the last and necessary gasp of the oppressed struggling against a tormentors' chokehold in a time where 'violence is never the answer' rhetoric is being paraded around as those in power wash their hands in blood? Monkey Man flips the script of countless 'revenge is pointless' narratives that came before it, but at the same time wears its influences like a badge of honor. It's when watching a movie like this I remember why I love this medium. It's a uniquely singular experience that could only be made by the team behind it. If you got nothing else out of this movie, at the very least keep your eyes on Dev Patel. More leading roles for the man would be great, but if he directs anything with even a fraction of this passion, now armed with this experience under his belt and a little bit of polish? We're in good hands. --also, dev patel is sexy, but you didn't need me to tell you that, did you?