Dev Patel Dominates In This Gutsy Action Flick

From the very first scene, Dev Patel pours his blood, sweat, and tears into this movie. It’s such an impressive effort from him not only as a performer, but also as a first-time writer and director. We’ve known he was capable of this type of role since Michael Winterbottom’s underappreciated «The Wedding Guest,» but this cements him as a rising action star of his generation, with more magnetism and intensity than the majority of his contemporaries. He carries off the extensive fight scenes with aplomb. And one thing that this film does undeniably have in common with «John Wick» is its stellar fight choreography. 

In the hands of the scrappy Monkey Man, anything and everything can be made into a weapon, and wherever possible the film avoids leaning on unimaginative gunplay for its thrills. These set pieces are the highlight of the film, whether they’re in the fighting ring as Kid first starts out, essentially serving as a human punching bag, or the glittering finale of «Monkey Man,» which takes place across several different floors of the nightclub.