Monkey Man (18)

★★★✭ Dev Patel emerges as a compelling action star in his fun if messy directorial debut, a scrappy revenge tale, full of infectious enthusiasm for the genre, set in a fictionalised Indian city where corruption is rife. ~ Little White Lies.

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Oscar-nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.

Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars 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.

Packed with thrilling and spectacular fight and chase scenes, Monkey Man is directed by Dev Patel from his original story and his screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World).

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★★★★✭ A surprisingly good film that starts as a gripping drama but morphs into a thrilling action film worthy of any Hollywood blockbuster in the final act. ~ AllMovie.

★★★★ ~ The Independent.

★★★★ ~ Financial Times.

★★★★ ~ Sunday Times.

★★★★ ~ The Observer.

★★★★ ~ The Guardian.

★★★★ ~ Radio Times.

★★★★ ~ The Times.

★★★★ ~ Total Film.

★★★★ ~ Time Out.

★★★★ ~ Empire.