Dev Patel’s directorial debut “Monkey Man,” an action thriller in which he also stars and co-wrote, was one of the sensations coming out of the 2024 SXSW Festival. Now, the film is finally having its streaming release in the US this week.
The movie will come out on Peacock on June 14. Its streaming releases come two months after its theatrical premiere (April 15), in which the film grossed $34.6 million against aproduction budget of only $10 million. Apart from being a success at the box office, the movie has also been positively received by critics, with The Hollywood Reporter comparing it to John Wick.
Patel’s action thriller was first set to go straight to Netflix, but the streamer shopped the movie around after feeling it was “too dense” for Indian audiences due to its social commentary. Director and producer Jordan Peele acquired the rights under his Monkeypaw Productions banner and convinced Universal to distribute it. Here’s what to know about this film.
What is ‘Monkey Man’ about?
Patel’s film, co-written with Paul Angunawela and John Collee, follows Kid (Patel), who barely makes ends meet by participating in underground fight clubs where he takes beatings for cash. However, when he decides to infiltrate the elite social circles of his city’s wealthiest and most corrupt individuals, he starts a quest to avenge his mother’s death.
The film has received praise for depicting many touchy subjects, especially in India: corruption, caste system, discrimination and more. However, for some, these elements create “expectations for a complex story that never emerges” (The New Yorker), but The Washington Post believes that the film addresses these inequalities in “ways more pointed than you would expect.”
Who is in the cast of ‘Monkey Man’?
Apart from Patel, who plays the titular role. The film also stars Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sikandar Kher, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte and Makarand Deshpande.
What did Dev Patel say about the film?
After the movie premiered at the SXSW, Patel told People that he “put my everything into it, and I hope the world responds to it,”explaining how he broke his hand while filming an action sequence.
