This year has been great for action movie fans, with the likes of Rebel Ridge, Kill, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and more exploding onto screens and showing everyone just what the genre is capable of. Now, one of the most acclaimed (and most unique) action movies of the year is due to land on streaming, with actor Dev Patel's directorial debut, Monkey Man, all set to hit Prime Video next week.
Starring Dev Patel as the main character, Kid, who sets out on a quest for brutal and bloody revenge, Monkey Man is due to land on Prime Video on Tuesday, October 15, and we highly recommend that, if you missed the critically acclaimed action flick in theaters, you tune in quicker than a flurry of punches delivered by Kid. The action outing also stars Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikandar Kher, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, and Makarand Deshpande, and you can check out the official synopsis for Monkey Man below.
"Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Dev Patel as Kid, 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."
Will We Ever See a Monkey Man 2? Close
Monkey Man was met with high praise when it first hit theaters back in April, and now stands at an impressive 89% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was initially set for release on Netflix, before Get Out director Jordan Peele saw the film, loved it, and came on board as producer, persuading Universal Pictures to purchase the movie from the streamer for around $10 million.
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Violence is her only option.
Critics praised the John Wick-style action that audiences have come to know and love, and were impressed with Patel's affinity for giving the action scenes a freshness by putting them in the context of a sociopolitical thriller. Mae Abdulbaki of Screen Rant heaped praise on Patel and his success in bringing "electric" hand-to-hand fight sequences to the big screen.
"The hand-to-hand combat and fight choreography feels electric, sizzling with an energy that'll keep you riveted and glued to the screen."
Fans of Monkey Man have since been awaiting news of a possible sequel (every action movie is now a potential franchise starter) and while nothing has been confirmed as yet, Patel is not ruling it out, saying, "I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. I know this sounds like a cliché, but just to ... birth this little thing, it's been a huge undertaking. This is all a dream come true."
2.5/5 Monkey Man RActionThriller Release Date April 5, 2024 Director Dev Patel Cast Sharlto Copley , Dev Patel , Vipin Sharma , Sobhita Dhulipala , Sikandar Kher Runtime 1hr 53min Main Genre Action Writers Dev Patel , John Collee , Paul Angunawela Studio BRON Studios, Creative Wealth Media Finance, Lost Winds Entertainment Expand