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.

Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

• Kid: Dev Patel
• Alphonso: Pitobash
• Young Kid: Jatin Malik
• Neela: Adithi Kalkunte
• Rana Singh: Sikandar Kher
• Baba Shakti: Makrand Deshpande
• Queenie: Ashwini Kalsekar
• Alpha: Vipin Sharma
• Sita: Sobhita Dhulipala
• Mirza: Jomon Thomas
• Lakshmi: Pehan Abdul
• King Kobra / Sher Khan: Brahim Achabbakhe
• Sheru: Suhaimi
• Adesh Joshi: Vijay Kumar
• Nishit: Jino A. Samuel
• Cop: Kalih Dewantoro
• Cop: Alan Jiraiya
• Dimple: Baby Tamba
• Junior Officer (Flashback): Abhiram Reddam
• Lucky: Harshit Mahawar
• Pimp: Winai Wiangyangkung
• Hijra: Dayangku Zyana
• Hijra: Christopher Oba Warella
• Hijra: Fahad Scale
• Hijra: Reva Marchellin
• Hijra: Pehan Meutuah Abdul
• Hijra: Teddy Khannayan
• Hijra: Renren Subramany
• Tiger: Sharlto Copley
• Tabla Maestro: Zakir Hussain
• Hijra: Agus Mulana
• Hijra: Quraish Aattamimi

Film Crew:

• Screenplay: Dev Patel
• Producer: Basil Iwanyk
• Producer: Jomon Thomas
• Producer: Samarth Sahni
• Producer: Erica Lee
• Producer: Christine Haebler
• Producer: Anjay Nagpal
• Executive Producer: Jonathan Fuhrman
• Executive Producer: Aaron L. Gilbert
• Executive Producer: Jason Cloth
• Executive Producer: Steven Thibault
• Executive Producer: Natalya Pavchinskaya
• Director of Photography: Sharone Meir
• Additional Director of Photography: Simon Temple
• Editor: Chris Gill
• Editor: Tim Murrell
• Editor: Kasra Rassoulzadegan
• Casting Director: Yunita Chun
• Art Direction: Ahmad Zulkarnaen
• Set Decoration: Yasmin Sethi
• Costume Designer: Divvya Gambhir
• Costume Designer: Nidhi Gambhir
• Co-Producer: Raghuvir Joshi
• Producer: Bavand Karim
• Executive Producer: Cheryl Leib
• Co-Executive Producer: Joseph Leib
• Executive Producer: Suraj Maraboyina
• Executive Producer: Alison-Jane Roney
• Executive Producer: Adam Somer
• Co-Producer: Mike Wiluan
• Producer: Jordan Peele
• Screenplay: Paul Angunawela
• Screenplay: John Collee
• Production Design: Pawas Sawatchaiyamet
• Executive Producer: Andria Spring
• Local Casting: Tess Joseph
• Key Grip: Rinto Ambar Krisnanto
• Grip: Berliyonda
• Grip: Dana Rismawan
• Grip: Choliq Satria
• Production Supervisor: John Radel
• Production Manager: Anita Sandrayanti
• Production Manager: Brenda Lai Yee Lee
• Script Supervisor: Lelly Anggrainy Siwalette
• Script Supervisor: Lim Khai Sim
• Production Coordinator: Gita Sudjirman
• Travel Coordinator: Mayasari Supriyanto
• First Assistant Director: Dondy Adrian
• Second Assistant Director: Mario Kartawinatta
• Second Assistant Director: Apoorva Tripathi
• Second Assistant Director: Mohit Silswal
• Third Assistant Director: Wylie Wiratanu Ningrat
• Third Assistant Director: Melarissa Sjarief
• Animal Wrangler: Rio Ahmad Sofyan
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Jon Taylor
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Frank A. Montaño
• Supervising Sound Editor: Michael Darren
• Supervising Sound Editor: Sandra Portman
• Post Production Supervisor: Scott Watson
• Post Production Supervisor: Stella Do
• Post Production Supervisor: David Birrell
• Post Production Supervisor: Daphne Lambrinou
• Post Production Supervisor: Steve Bocsi
• Sound Effects Editor: Duncan Campbell
• Sound Effects Editor: Lachlan Harris
• Sound Effects Editor: Tom Heuzenroeder
• ADR Supervisor: Leah McKeown
• Dialogue Editor: Pete Smith
• Assistant Sound Editor: Hamish Keen
• Assistant Sound Editor: Effie Pashidis
• Foley Artist: Adrian Medhurst
• Foley Artist: John Simpson
• Sound Designer: Gregorio Gómez
• Sound Designer: Nolan McNaughton
• Sound Effects Editor: Chris Baker
• Sound Effects Editor: Jay Cheetham
• Foley Artist: Tapio Liukkonen
• Assistant Sound Editor: Joselyn Hernandez
• Assistant Sound Editor: Tony Rooney
• ADR Editor: Eric Mouawad
• ADR Editor: Katrina Castillou
• ADR Editor: Christrina Sahni
• Mix Technician: Kevin Morales
• ADR Editor: Troy Reimer
• Sound Editor: Mark P. Stoeckinger
• Sound Editor: Paul P. Soucek
• Sound Designer: Stephen P. Robinson
• Sound Designer: Jack Whittaker
• ADR Supervisor: Jason W. Freeman
• ADR Editor: Sang Jun Kim
• Assistant Sound Editor: Mark Coffey
• Sound Effects Editor: Frédéric Dubois
• Dialogue Editor: Eryne Prine
• Dialogue Editor: Arielle McGrail
• Dialogue Editor: Micah Loken
• Original Music Composer: Jed Kurzel
• Main Title Designer: Aaron Becker
• Title Designer: Richie Adams
• Casting Associate: Rahul Batra
• Casting Associate: Arpit Purohit
• Second Unit Cinematographer: Dimas Imam Subhono
• Stunts: Stephen Renney
• First Assistant Camera: Adhitya Rachman
• Gaffer: Solanki Lalit
• Gaffer: Rubb Bhungdawala
• Set Dresser: Raveena Singh
• Fight Choreographer: Brahim Achabbakhe
• Stunt Double: Wut Kulawat
• Stunt Coordinator: Udeh Nans
• Producer: Win Rosenfeld
• Producer: Ian Cooper
• Associate Producer: Daniel Larson

Movie Reviews:

• r96sk: 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 Bento: 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
• CinemaSerf: 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.
• cinefetch: This movie is a boring John Wick wannabe (they literally mention John Wick in the movie). The action sucks, the cinematography is nauseating, the story is boring. There’s nothing good about this movie. I’m convinced the high reviews are probably from Indians, as they like to rate shit movies highly. If you’re not Indian, don’t waste your time on this crap.
• cleverashu: There’s a recurrent metaphor throughout the film, of Hanuman trying to eat the sun leaping towards it Icarus-like and being stopped by the gods eventually. Maybe Dev Patel was aware of how well this metaphor would encapsulate his brave directorial debut too, all throughout the film he’s trying to reach the narrative he wants to tell but he eventually pulls his own punches. Only if he knew his film would eventually not release in Indian theaters at all, howmuchever he restrains himself.
• Don’t get me wrong, this is a highly enjoyable film. But the commentary on the current Indian society and what is plaguing it and all the classist and casteist divides we have setup within ourselves — all of that comes out a tad bit feeble and a bit too watered-down.
• You can see Dev touching majorly on religious blind-faith intermingling with politics, but also offhandedly on caste and patriarchy too — there’s even a montage of real-life videos of a few of these evils thrown in for good measure — but everything is a bit too sanitised and it doesn’t jolt you. Not for a single moment did the film drown me in itself with these thoughts, always swimming on the surface. Water and fire are another recurrent tropes which occur throughout, another piece of foresight by Dev on how his fire would eventually be watered and we would just swim on the surface of it.
• Having said that all out, I completely dig the film for its action and how it tries to mix Indian music and instruments throughout. **There’s Zakir Hussain in it ffs, now THAT is what true cameos should be like, completely unexpected and swooping you in.** I’ve always liked Dev’s performance and here he proves he’s as good behind the camera as he is on it. It was great to see familiar Indian faces as well. There’s also one homage to _Ghajini_ in there which I feel was a great nod.
• One last piece of critique and then I would leave: the fictional cities and villages all feel lived-in and real, but at the same time a little bit Westernised too to be uniquely identified as Indian.