Monkey Man (2024)

Too many of Monkey Man’s best fights are chopped into a blur, which stings, because Dev Patel poured everything into them. Patel directs and stars as Kid, who loses fights on purpose in a monkey mask at an underground club in the city of Yatana and still carries his mother’s stories of Hanuman. He’s after Rana Singh, the corrupt police chief he blames for what happened to his village, so he talks his way into a kitchen job at Kings, a club for the city’s most powerful people. A stray dog he trains becomes his accomplice, and a souped-up auto rickshaw getaway is the year’s most fun chase. When Kid hides out at a temple that shelters the city’s hijra community, the movie suddenly has something to fight for, even if the story gets tangled between myth and message. It holds an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and made $35.4 million worldwide on a reported $10M. A 7.2 because Patel’s passion outruns his editing. $77.37 says you go read up on Hanuman before bed, the way Kid’s mother would want.

What works: Dev Patel is fierce and committed in front of and behind the camera, and the rickshaw chase and temple chapter are standouts.

What doesn’t: Choppy, overcaffeinated editing makes several fights hard to follow, and the story’s bigger ideas never fully come into focus.

Who it’s for: Action fans who want something with more heart and personality than the usual revenge movie, and who can handle intense fights.