This script is very close to my heart
Chats to Monkey Man writer, director and star Dev Patel and producer Jordan Peele about their action-packed revenge thriller
EVER since he was a child, Dev Patel has been obsessed with action films, sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to watch Bruce Lee flicks.
As his love for cinema grew, from watching Indian icon Shah Rukh Khan fighting baddies and saving the love of his life, to being introduced to Korean cinema, so did Dev’s own career in the industry; he has consistently produced standout performances as an actor since his first role in Channel 4’s Skins in 2007.
But his love for action never faltered, and he’s since realised how much deeper the genre could go, inspiring his first filmmaking venture.
Monkey Man, which marks Dev’s directorial debut at the age of 33, adds “a heavy dose of culture to the mix”, he says.
The action thriller, which he wrote, directed and stars in, was inspired by the legend of Hanuman – a Hindu deity and symbol of wisdom, strength, courage and self-discipline – “taking one of the oldest Indian mythologies and giving it a modern spin”.
Set in a fictional Indian city named Yatana, a Sanskrit word that can mean ‘struggle or endeavour’, but also ‘vengeance’, Monkey Man follows a broken young man named Kid.
The protagonist, played by Dev, is introduced as a fighter in a monkey mask working in an underground club, allowing himself to get beaten bloody night after night for cash.
In a way, it is an allegory for Kid’s entire life. He was orphaned as a boy when a corrupt police chief burned down his village in an unprovoked raid, and he’s since harboured a suppressed rage against
Yatana’s sinister elite.
Through a chance encounter, he’s given a way into this nefarious world, and finds that the corruption goes deeper than he ever imagined.
Kid’s childhood trauma drives him to become a powerful weapon of revenge, and we watch as he goes on a heroic, action-packed mission to eliminate the villainy of oppression.
“I wanted to be able to talk about certain things that have been on my mind for a very long time, and I wanted to access an audience that wouldn’t normally come to watch a film about politics or religion, or violence against women, or whatever,” says Dev, who has previously starred in films like Slumdog Millionaire, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and The Personal History Of David Copperfield.
“When you talk about revenge cinema, you’re like, what really would lead someone to resort to such means? How cornered and how stifled and how angry with someone (do you) need to be? So I wanted the revenge to be birthed from something very primal and very real.” The depth of Dev’s action romp drew the attention of Jordan Peele, the actor, comedian and filmmaker known for horror hits Get Out, Us and Nope. Getting involved in the project as producer was an easy ‘yes’ for 45-year-old Jordan. “When I heard ‘Dev Patel’, I was hooked,” he says, adding that he loved how “this story gets us on board emotionally with the drive of vengeance”.
“When I first saw what Dev had put together, it was so clear that he had gone so hard as a director of a film, and as an actor,” says Jordan.
“Just to address those action sequences, which I fell in love with, because I feel like the action in Monkey Man has its own unique characteristic where it feels primal. It feels brutal, feels improvisational, but it’s really beautiful.
“Dev as a lead has a really unique action instrument. That’s exactly how I would like to fight if I had my revenge on my enemies! I have no enemies.”
Getting the action scenes in Monkey Man right was essential for Dev. Not only
He’s going to bite, he’s going to spit, he’s going to scratch, he’s going to do anything possible to survive.
Dev Patel on his vengeful character in Monkey Man
did he get into impeccable shape for the role and rehearse tirelessly with his fight co-ordinator, he also worked to make the fighting seamless, raw and utterly breathtaking.
“Sometimes you watch overly choreographed action and you can almost see the actor mouthing the numbers of [the] moves that they have got to do,” Dev says.
“I wanted to create something that was truly jagged, and felt like real self-defence. Like, you’ve got someone that’s a cornered animal, and he’s going to use any part of himself. He’s going to bite, he’s going to spit, he’s going to scratch, he’s going to do anything possible to survive.
“We even hired one of the stuntmen, who was one of the camera operators in the stunt room, to start operating one of the main cameras on our unit, and that way we literally had a ninja working with us as we’re covering this, to get new angles and stuff.
“So it was really cool.”
Monkey Man is an exhilarating thrill ride, packed with the kind of action scenes that would give John Wick a run for his money. It’s also one with real heart, a labour of love for Dev.
“I spent about eight years of my life, in between projects, tweaking this script,” he says. “It’s very close to my heart. It’s taking one of the oldest Indian mythologies and giving it a modern spin, so hopefully it’ll internationalise this story and create a brand new superhero epic, something wholly original.”
With such a tour-de-force debut behind the camera, Bafta-winning and Oscar-nominated actor Dev will doubtless leave film lovers wondering what’s next in his filmmaking career.
“A holiday?” he laughs.
“I have some things I’m fiddling on. But, you know, I’m just happy that I got to birth this thing with the help of this incredible individual,” he smiles to producer Jordan.
“So right now, I’m just holding on for dear life. And let’s see what happens with this thing.”
Monkey Man is in UK cinemas now