Monkey Man

As someone once said, if you’re going to steal, steal from the best. The borrowings here are clear and right out on front street: heavy doses of John Wick, plus touches of Kill Bill and The Dark Knight Rises, to say nothing of their antecedents. Director and star Dev Patel uses all of the influences, filtered through a very subcontinental lens, to tell a tale that is interesting for its similarities to and differences from other entries in the action-revenge genre, while still being plainly and accessibly entertaining. And, seemingly just to show off, Patel also slips some pointed commentary about the current state of affairs, social and political, in India into his story. Pretty impressive for a debut work. The only caveat here is the usual warning for the wilting flowers about some scenes of truly gruesome violence. If you can handle that, then this movie is definitely worth a look.