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British actor Dev Patel is back to winning hearts through his onscreen performances with his most recent masterpiece,Monkey Man. Based in India (though shot in Indonesia), the film not only marks his directorial feature debut but also stars him in a never-seen-before role: A young man named ‘Kid’, who finally gets to settle the score with the people who took everything from him.
While the film is a masterwork in itself, multiple themes and elements have led to it being compared to the renownedJohn Wicksaga. But what many don’t seem to realize is that this movie that Patel has co-written, directed, and starred in is already a step ahead of Chad Stahelski’s iconic action-thirsty saga with a lot of things that would inevitably further win the hearts of many.
How Dev Patel’sMonkey Manis a Step Ahead ofJohn Wick
Teeth, guns, knives, blood, grit, gory, and stepping up to fight against all those sinister elites and settling the score for every way that they wronged someone else — Chad Stahelski’s action franchise has shown it all. And now,Dev Patel‘s new action film seems to be bringing about the same themes and plotlines as well.
However, even though a lot of thematic aspects between the two are similar, Patel’s recent masterpiece is one step ahead ofKeanu Reeves‘ saga. How? Well, there are a lot of things. One, for instance, is that the British actor’s action-thriller is the“anthem for the underdog, the voiceless, the marginalized.”
Dev Patel Reveals the Mythology Behind ‘Monkey Man’ Dates Back to 8th Century BCE as Actor Takes Inspiration From an Ancient Indian Text
As he shared withVarietyduring the SXSW premiere of his directorial debut movie:
“For me, I think this is an anthem for the underdog, the voiceless, the marginalized. […] I just really wanted to include the hijra community, the third gender in India. This is, at its core, a revenge film about faith. And the beauty of faith, you know. Faith — we should be fighting for each other, not against each other — that’s what it should do at its best.”
FortheSlumdog Millionairemastermind, including the trans representation in the film was one of the biggest reasons why he approached it in the first place. As he continued to say:
“For me, it’s become rigid of a time. You look at the old carvings in these temples in India and, like, the freedom, the sexuality — all of it. The philosophy was so ahead of its time. So I wanted to try and dive into that, sort of, and make that, sort of, the lore of the film.”
“I was ready to say goodbye to this dream”: Dev Patel Felt Like Julia Roberts in ‘Pretty Woman’ After Jordan Peele Saved ‘Monkey Man’
Thus, in an attempt to incorporate all of the facts and features, Patel ended up making a masterpiece that isMonkey Man. Yet, that isn’t all that separates it fromtheJohn Wicksaga.
Another Aspect ofMonkey ManThat Separates it From Other Action Films
During the same interview, theLionactor also shared another key aspect of his new movie that not only sets it apart fromReeves’ sagabut from all the other action movies as well: Its cultural element.
“The action genre has been abused by the system,”Patel said.“You know, a quick buck. Mindless shit. I wanted to give it soul. Real trauma. Real pain. You guys deserve that. I wanted to infuse it with a little bit of culture.”
“The film was basically dead”: Dev Patel Begged Producers To Save Monkey Man, Used Lighting Guys And Accountants As Actors To Finish The Movie
He also shared a bit more insights into the movie, explaining just who it is based on and how the story unfolds. He said:
“I wanted to take this old mythology and kind of take these characters of who I thought was this hero Hanuman who had lost faith in himself. [He] didn’t realize who he was and needed to be reminded by fellow outsiders of who he was, and together they waged this war, you know, for the good and the just.”
Well, judging from Patel’s representation of it, it seems that his directorial debut film might end up being loved even more thanChad Stahelski‘s super-famous saga. Who knows?!
Monkey Manis out in theatres now!
Mahin Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2478
Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.
