‘Monkey Man’ producer Jordan Peele dismisses ‘John Wick’ comparisons
“Monkey Man” begins with the legend of Hanuman − a devoted and courageous half-man, half-monkey Hindu god − and the origin story of the film’s star Dev Patel also begins with a larger-than-life hero.
“I snuck downstairs when I was a little kid, way past my bedtime, and I watched Bruce Lee onscreen through the banister,” Patel told a fervent audience gathered in Austin for the film’s world premiere at South By Southwest festival in March. Laying his eyes on Lee, the trailblazing Asian American martial arts star who conquered Hollywood, was the first time Patel saw an actor who even “slightly” resembled him. “From that day on, I fell in love with action movies.”
But the Oscar-nominated actor, who directs and co-wrote the film, didn’t want to make “Monkey Man” just any punch-by-numbers feature. He longed for a project with soul and drama that also showcased his culture. What resulted is the story of a man, referred to as Kid, who plots to avenge his mom’s death by wreaking havoc on the nefarious leaders who killed her.
And while some have described it as Patel’s version of “John Wick,” the action franchise led by Keanu Reeves, “Monkey Man” producer Jordan Peele says the film elevates the genre.
“What this movie does is take the quality of action of a film like ‘John Wick,’ and it goes harder,” says Peele, seated beside Patel. “The vibe and the story and the emotional connection that Dev builds is awesome, and it’s a completely different thing.
“When you see the movie, you realize you’re seeing a classic, and a movie that is itself,” Peele adds. “So all respect to ‘John Wick,’ but it’s not that.”
Patel, 33, deems the experience “the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life.” He’d swing between tending to his directing duties, like contemplating lighting, “and then you go back into this place of real trauma and PTSD.”
“Action stars have been severely overlooked,” he says, commending them for their ability to put themselves out there. “You’re going to fail wildly, or you’re going to succeed and fly, but there’s no in-between. So I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going to go for it, absolutely go for it.’”
As an actor, Patel says, “You’re nervous and you’re waiting for your bits to come on and you hope you’ve nailed those lines, but you’re a cog in a very complex mechanism. But as a director, there’s nowhere to hide, and you are falling on your sword, and it’s a very exposing space to be.”
What’s more, the “Slumdog Millionaire” star had to put up a fight himself, as making the film was such a process. The pandemic nearly killed the project, until Patel switched filming from India to a studio in Indonesia. His production designer quit and his gaffer (lighting) died.
Money was also an issue: Patel glued a stunt table back together himself because he could only budget for two. Early on, a stuntman stomped on Patel’s foot and broke it. He also tore his shoulder and broke his hand in a fight scene with co-star Sikandar Kher.
The risk and effort appear to have paid off. After Patel delivered the movie at SXSW, when “the paint wasn’t even dry,” moviegoers rewarded “Monkey Man” with the festival’s headliner audience award. The film also earned Peele his first career standing ovation.
Viewers saw what Peele saw when he came aboard with his Monkeypaw Productions to give the film a theatrical release. (Netflix had previously purchased the film in 2021 for a reported $30 million.)
“The thing that was undeniable to me was that this film clearly demanded to be seen in a theater,” Peele says. “It’s just one of these movies that has that loud audience vibe. You don’t want to be sitting at home and, what, your cat screams? No!”
Patel also succeeded in providing representation for a new generation, one that perhaps still sneaks movies after bedtime.
“There was this man that came up, and he’s like, ‘I’m jealous of my 14year-old son,’ ” Patel recalls. “I’m like, that’s a weird thing to say. He goes, ‘Because he’s finally got someone he can look up to in a film like this, and I never had that.’ And I was deeply moved.”