Monkey Man

"One small ember can burn down everything."

2024 2h 2m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

89%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 1,542🍅89%Rotten Tomatoes●70Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 98,051

ThrillerCrimeAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Kid is 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.

“One small ember can burn down everything.”

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Cast

Dev Patel
Kid
Sikandar Kher
Rana
Makrand Deshpande
Baba Shakti
Pitobash
Alphonso
Vipin Sharma
Alpha
Ashwini Kalsekar
Queenie
Sobhita Dhulipala
Sita
Adithi Kalkunte
Neela

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dev Patel
Writers: Dev Patel, Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela
Languages: Hindi, English
Countries: Canada, Singapore, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Hindi, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Canada, Singapore, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dev Patel, shot by Sharone Meir. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jed Kurzel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chris Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dev Patel and Sikandar Kher and Makrand Deshpande carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dev Patel directs. Sharone Meir behind the camera. Jed Kurzel scores. Chris Gill cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Canada, Singapore, United States of America. Dialogue in Hindi, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.
2Released 2 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Hindi, English.
4International production across 3 countries: Canada, Singapore, United States of America.
5Directed by Dev Patel, shot by Sharone Meir. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jed Kurzel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Chris Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Dev Patel and Sikandar Kher and Makrand Deshpande carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "One small ember can burn down everything.".
10IMDB entry: tt9214772 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 15 themes, including "police brutality", "corruption", "social injustice", "revenge thriller".

The technical file

Cinematography: Sharone Meir
Original score: Jed Kurzel
Editing: Chris Gill
Production design: Pawas Sawatchaiyamet
Makeup / hair: Aimee Macabeo
Sound: Jon Taylor
Stunt coordinator: Udeh Nans
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $35,271,631
Return: 353% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Monkey Man (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 70/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 98,051 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award11 wins & 33 nominations total

Also by

Dev Patel

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2024-04-05
★ 9/10
Slightly too long, but pretty much every other element of 'Monkey Man' is more than enough to compensate. I had a very good time watching what is Dev Patel's directorial debut. He himself is outstanding, having portrayed the role of the titular character perfectly. I had only seen the guy in two films ('Slumdog Millionaire' & 'The Last Airbender') prior to this, so very much happy to see him act further. An excellent job from him on and off screen, I'm happy that he managed to get this made in the end. As noted, I do think the run time could've been trimmed a little. It's not a major issue of mine, at all, but at a few moments I did feel my interest wane a bit. The story itself is a good one though, one that is entwined with a lot of fight (literally) but a lot of feeling too. Visually, it's a beauty. As for those behind Patel, Pitobash and Vipin Sharma are positives; Ashwini Kalsekar does well too. Most definitely worth a watch, especially on the big screen! I enjoyed myself, all in all.
Manuel São Bento2024-04-08
★ 7/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/monkey-man-review-an-imperfect-yet-compelling-directorial-debut-from-dev-patel/ "Monkey Man shows that Dev Patel still has much to learn when it comes to directing and writing, but his unwavering commitment to a culturally and thematically rich story deserves countless praises. A revenge arc with some pacing issues narrative-wise, but with action sequences loaded with energy and adrenaline, even when chaotically choreographed and shot. Predictably dedicated performance from Patel that avoids some genre formulas while paying homage to some of the classics that inspired him. An imperfect yet compelling debut." Rating: B
CinemaSerf2024-04-10
★ 6/10
Dev Patel has spoken a lot about him not wanting to be "James Bond" but it looks like those stories have inspired quite a bit of this pretty derivative revenge thriller that actually reminded me a bit of his "Hotel Mumbai" (2018) outing too. We know that he ("Kid") routinely dons a monkey mask for some wrestling and he duly gets a pasting - but that this all has purpose. That purpose starts to come together when he manages to organise a subtle sting operation on "Queenie" (Ashwini Kalsekar) who runs an high-end gentleman's club. His reward here is a job. In the kitchens, bleaching the toilets and washing the pots. A means to an end though as he befriends the drug-pusher "Alphonso" (Pitobash) - who has a nifty, turbo-charged, tuk-tuk, and is soon elevated to the rank of waiter to the corrupt and profligate of city society who frequent the place. Interspersed with his burgeoning career, we begin to see flashbacks of his childhood - and of the brutality that reduced him to his present, vengeful, circumstances. The story is set against a backdrop of political turmoil and with an election looming, he becomes aware that there are wheels within wheels and that his principle antagonist is firmly amongst the secular and religious plotters. He also finds himself being cared for by a sagely monk "Alpha" (Vipin Sharma) who helps him to focus both his mind and his body as we build to a denouement that can be seen from space by anyone who's ever seen a "John Wick" film. Patel is a charismatic man but that's not what's needed here. That's something just a little more original to keep this over-long two hours from becoming just a bit dull and procedural. It's not terrible, but it's not really up to much either.