Monkey Man is intense. 

It's very nice when actions in the first half are very chaotic and shaky but as he becomes better, the camera becomes more still and balanced.

The best part was when monkey man got stuck on the boat with a tiger and they became friends

Gotta agree with Nadia here. Bobby's backstory and training may have been long or a little weirdly paced, but I think that it's necessary to be invested in the action. John Wick is fun and all, but I'm not really invested at all or interested in John Wick the character. Dev's character is kinda simple, but a good simple in that it's a channeling of pure emotion. Edit: minor grammar

Kayla and I just saw it. Absolutely bonkers film! The mixing of religious elements into a Taxi Driver/JW style story wasn’t something I thought could work but damn turned out fresh while being very familiar. Can’t wait to hear y’all’s thoughts.

This film just interests me so much, sucks it won't be released in India because our government dislikes anything that even mildly criticises the current regime. Love you two! Keep doing what you are doing.❤️

I disagree with the take that he didn't need the training because he was already a skilled fighter, i think specifically the movie shows us that he's really just an alright fighter who's following a script for his matches, and this heavily shows through how the movie shoots the action before and after his training, before hes constantly struggling and the camera is shaky because of his lack of confidence, and after he goes through his spiritual and physical transformation, the camera is a lot more clear and hes become a much stronger fighter, evident through not only the boxing ring scenes, but the fight with the police chief too, where the first time the chief clearly had the upper hand, the second time it wasnt even close, i think that slow middle is necessary for this movie to work, especially because those scenes build upon the movies political themes which i found engaging.

great video, y’all! i often disagree but i always love reflecting based off your well-done in-depth analysis and explanations :)

Like how the man gave his opinion without holding back. I enjoyed the difference of perspective. Great review covering both the good and the bad.

I can't believe I've been following Dev Patel's career for almost 20 years now. Even before Slumdog when he was in a show called Skins, essentially the OG Euphoria. Dude is an absolute leading man now.

When monkey man said it was monkying time and started monkeying, the whole theatre monkeyed with him. Truly one of the moments of all time.

The trippy visual scene when he rips his chest open reminded me of Heavy Metal.

I think the editing of this movie let it down a little at times. I would’ve personally cut out the flashbacks completely with the exception of maybe the sounds and let it be up to the audience’s imagination why he was so distraught/angry until the midpoint of the film.

I guess it more of retake of agneepath(2012) with like hanuman burning Lanka in a mythological framing/ Bruce Lee type action

This movie was absolutely amazing in my opinion

I am going to watch this film tomorrow 🎉

Another awesome review, thanks! :D Question: You two are fans of Nathan for You and The Rehearsal - are you planning on reviewing The Curse? I’d be curious to hear what you two think.

I think the political context is important for understanding the movie, since the flashbacks aren't just about character backstory. They're a reference to real race riots in which the current Indian head of state was complicit. The fixation there isn't just about showing that the villain is bad but for expressing rage at the current regime.

I really liked monkey man. The only thing i would point out is really just the camera shaking in the fight scenes. That makes it different from Berserk because Berserk is amazing in every way, especially in how funny and happy it is! Maybe you should try it?? Haha, that would really be awesome?? Ha

Great review. I completely agree with Jake. The whole spiritual arc and flashbacks were so boring that I didn’t care about what happened at the end due to lack of substance and depth. The spiritual awakening didn’t change Dev Patels character at all, he just started to train harder. A lot of heavy handed scenes. Really wanted to like it, but couldn’t

As a south Asian guy and huge fan of John Wick this is amazing

I really hope it releases in india with no censorship.

I wholeheartedly disagree about the pacing, because the movie is reflecting the hanuman story, and I really don't need balls to the wall all the time, constant revving up of momentum all the time. It's good for pure action films, but that's not what this is.

Some parts r filmed in India and some in Indonesia bcz of covid lockdown in India

14:40. There was a line about how everyone in the temple says they were warriors, and they train in the temple. It wasnt like it came out of nowhere. It's part of indian culture that transgender people were fighters.

This movie exceeded and subverted my expectations

People say that it was not that was expected, the focus on the story was misaligned, dont you think that is the same way everybody expects and every movie is like that and it makes this unique and also different from john wick and not look like a ripp off.

Saw a lot of the same issues Jake did but for whatever reason they just didnt bother me that much while watching. I really enjoyed it, 8/10 from me too

5:09 this was made that way intentionally,dev said it himself bc he wanted to bring in the mass audience who watches action movies , to a semi serious drama movie(obviously this is not a super serius drama movie) its a trojan horse with actual criticism of caste and religion in south asia baked in it , intentionally marketed as an action movie.

I am from India. He is right , the story is predictable and paper thin. 90's Bollywood has told this story million times. Its the cinematography and action that stays.

I was also kind of disappointed with this one. Partly because of the misleading marketing, but also it did feel like a first attempt at an action movie by a first time director. Which is fine It more just makes me look forward to his next attempt

how is the violence both raw and over the top? idk i thought it did an excellent job of subverting my expectations by treating the violence appropriately within a more serious and grounded story than something like John Wick where he kills the whole secret assassination organization. this movie was political and personal and the action serviced that well.

Movie is amazing!!

felt similarly to jake

Wow, what a real blast of a movie! Great action, prime cheesy jokes and immerse heart, that not afraid to speak truth to power or show both personal and societal brutality! The only drawback I might add is that I personal think Dev Patel overuses close-ups in some parts of the movie (my only complaint, since he clearly has some real pros on his set and some downright gorgeous sets!), but this is a really impressive directorial debut Patel: This managed “Heroic Bloodshed” action akin to “A Better Tomorrow” or “Desperado” under the worst circumstances (watch Dev Patel’s interview with Ali Plumb!) and on a shoestring budget compared to most action movies! This is Bruce Lee meets Andrei Tarkovsky: Bravo! 👏🎬

❤❤❤

Just watched your civil war review as well and you guys are my movie spirit animals. Agreed with everything you said ❤😂 - me and my gf decided to watch Civil War and Monkey Man on the same day (like a poor man's barbenheimer) and I had low expectations for Civil War and High expectations for Monkey Man and I left thinking Civil War is a movie I will remember and Monkey Man not so much