'Monkey Man', A Huge Political Allegory Bathed in Blood and Brawls (SPOILERS)

Let's talk about 'Monkey Man'. This movie was a whole trip. I truly don't know where to begin. I remember walking into the theatre, clueless as to what I would be getting myself into. As the end credits began to roll in, I became speechless and in awe of Dev Patel's outstanding acting and directorial abilities.

There were prominently no subtle metaphors or figurative language required to symbolize such a central issue that is recurring in India's social-political field; Patel is very much aware of this. "Sentenced to hell" for protecting his mother, Monkey Man is a protagonist who is heavily fueled by destruction and devotion.

Unlike most stereotypical male protagonists in action films, Patel's Monkey Man differs from John Wick's untouchable fighting skills or Batman's ruthless vengeance. Monkey Man was the very creation of destruction. Alluding to the tales of Hanuman, Monkey Man "touches the sun" and is then condemned to hell by the gods because of his actions. As the story unravels, we become aware that his attempt to save his mother from a fire was his version of "touching the sun"; because of this, he seeks revenge from a religious political figure who had planned the entire operation of abrupting chaos upon the village. From this, we become aware of his characteristics. Patel's character is fueled by devotion; his mother was his very devotion. As he witnesses his mother being abused, burnt, and destroyed, comes the birth of Monkey Man, the creation of destruction.

"Without destruction, there will be no creation."

This is a quote directly taken from the movie. In Hinduism, the concept of creation and destruction is deeply intertwined with the philosophy of existence and the cycle of life. One of the fundamental beliefs is that creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin and are necessary for the balance and continuity of the universe. With this philosophical concept from the movie, I thoroughly enjoyed how evident it was throughout the film.

Patel's Monkey Man was not charismatic. He was not untouchable, he was not the best at fighting, he was not invincible -- he was human. He showed kindness to everyone. Kindness to a dog, kindness to the secluded Indian transgender community (especially loved watching this beautiful representation), and kindness to the children around him. This can further be seen in his interaction with his female interest. The choice of music, "Roxanne" softly playing in the background when they first met behaves as a physical manifestation of his internal feelings towards his female interest. This was a clever choice as it encapsulates their chemistry in such a brief and in-depth manner; where viewers can immediately understand the connection between the two characters. At the end of the movie, Monkey Man differed from an action-packed movie. Unlike John Wick who always wins his fights and beds his female interests, it took Monkey Man several beatings and defeats to win a fight, moreover, he did not bring the girl he liked to bed. To me, this truly showed the movie's purpose and message -- that is reality.

These characters are real people created by real circumstances. Nobody steered Monkey Man from the act of revenge, in fact, they encouraged it given their chain of events, and the characters are meant to depict real-life situations with realistic human tendencies. Monkey Man is a victim of actual circumstances that are currently occurring in India to this very day. Patel's movie is a heavy reminder, a wake-up call, of what is happening in the real world, and how gruesome it can truly be. What makes this movie intimidating and impactful to me, as an audience, is how it perfectly mirrors reality. This situation is bound to happen. A Monkey Man, driven by devotion, destruction, and revenge is amidst.

Overall, this movie is a huge political allegory bathed in blood and brawls. I genuinely enjoyed every music choice, fight choreography, cinematography, and directorial cuts, with some being shot by an iPhone. Moreover, the tone of this movie was undoubtedly intense, gruesome, and raw, with constant implementation of the color red -- a symbol of the film's atmosphere. I heavily recommend this movie, it is truly unlike any other and it is most definitely going to be in my top five films of 2024. This year is off to a great start for movie enthusiasts.