Monkey Man

The good news is: Dev Patel made a movie. He and the crew did a bang-up job – a combination of a Van Damme/Jackie Chan/John Woo revenge fantasy and an Indian, socio-political commentary. But it’s a very large, very hot cup of coffee. It’s a lot. It’s a barrage of action. Quick cuts and shaky-cam. Ironic music. It rarely breathes and it’s hard to FEEL anything with this frenetic, indulgent assault. Mistakes were made, the biggest of which is not revealing the backstory earlier. I hope it does well. I hope it makes money. But it’s exhausting. My eyeballs were tired afterwards. I hope the editor gets treatment for an obvious cocaine addiction. 

As I watched I wondered, “Why do people watch these movies?” The gun-fu action isn’t going to re-invent the wheel. The familiar tropes, the hero, the villain, the hooker with a heart of gold, the kid, aren’t going to resonate, per se. There’s a feeling to get - like when Captain America picks up Thor’s hammer. Or when Neo stops the bullets in mid-air with is mind. Or when Furiosa rips off Immortan Joe’s face. It’s a primal satisfaction. A pay off. Lots of punching and blood isn’t going to get you there. And an ambiguous ending won’t provide the rush of adrenalin and oxytocin the audience wants. Tension and release needs to be addressed. Satisfaction needs to be addressed. Even for a violent gun-fu movie made for hyperactive, young males.