Dev Patel stars, co-wrote, and directed his feature debut Monkey Man. This chaotic action film is brilliant in may ways. The film’s ability to tell different stories without feeling fragmented or overstuffed is an one of its biggest accomplishments. This revenge story beautifully blends fictional bad buys with mythology and real-world politics.

Kid (Dev Patel) fights in a gritty underground fight scene. It’s unclear if he’s making money or is he a punching bag there to take a ritualistic beating every night. The best part is the venue is run by a slimy character played brilliantly by Shartlo Copley. Early on, the film delivers flashbacks of Kid’s life with is mother (Adithi Kalkunte). It’s clear he wants to avenge her death but unclear what happened and who is responsible. Once Kid goes undercover Ocean’s Eleven style to infiltrate a criminal organization, he learns more about the players involved and we learn a police officer named Rana (Sikandar Kher) is the man responsible for his mother’s death. The real fireworks come via incredible action sequences as Kid exacts his revenge. And that’s just the beginning.

Rana (Kher) is one of my favorite action movie villains in recent years. I don’t know if he has a page of dialogue but his presence is felt every second he’s on screen. Kid’s stylish fighting opposite Kher’s brute strength makes for very entertaining fight scenes. Every hero needs a good villain – Kher and Patel are a perfect match for this film.

This successful/not so successful infiltration leads to a citywide police search for Kid. He’s rescued and trained by the hijra community, led by Alpha (Vipin Sharma), who help remind Kid who he is and where his true strength comes from. This builds towards an explosive third act that’s packed with draw dropping action and some of the best revenge kills we’ve seen since 2014’s John Wick.

Outside of his ability to weave multiple stories together, Patel’s biggest achievement iis his ability to make Kid a hero that represents all the forgotten people. As the character stumbles through his first few sets of bad guys, it’s clear he isn’t a superhero or gifted special powers. He’s a man laser focused on revenge and righting wrong done to him and his community. If you aren’t educated on India’s political failings, you will recognize what it is to be an underdog or feel like politicians and greedy business practices have left working class people behind – Kid is fighting a universal fight.

The film isn’t just a 2hr vengeance streak. It’s surprisingly very comedic and light at times. The comedy comes courtesy of Alphonso (Pitobash). He finds himself involved in Kid’s revenge quest, although reluctantly, that leads to some of the film’s funnier moments.

The direction of the film, writing, and ability to blend different stories is difficult to describe. It brings a certain energy to the film, especially the frenetic fight sequences, that make the story feel alive. There’s a controlled chaos in the first and third acts that make a few things undeniable – 1) Dev Patel is a brilliant storyteller. 2) Dev Patel is a star. 3) Patel is masterful behind the camera.

We’re only a quarter of the way through the year in film but Monkey Man is one of the best films of 2024. It feels like a film that’s still enjoyable after multiple viewings. Only Patel knows what he has planned for his future in film. I hope he continues to make stylish poignant action films with heroes we don’t see often on the big screen.

Grade: A-