For a while now, we’ve known that Dev Patel was cooking up his debut film as writer-director-producer – an original story that would see him step behind the camera, as well as in front of it. And while we all love Dev Patel for obvious reasons – national treasure, phenomenal actor, incredible hair – it’s a genuine delight to report that Monkey Man looks ridiculously exciting. His film, produced by none other than Jordan Peele under the Monkeypaw banner, looks to be a pulse-pounding thriller boasting jaw-droppingly brutal action beats – with Patel’s unnamed ‘Kid’ stepping up to take down the nefarious forces that have made his life a misery. Watch the trailer here – and be sure to strap the hell in:
Anyone else suddenly feel like they could run a marathon? From what we see here, Monkey Man will be a kinetic ride with wince-inducing fight scenes – take, for instance, the moment where Kid pushes a foe’s face onto a burning grill, and promptly smashes a bottle of highly flammable booze over their head for good measure. Holy moly! There’s a visual confidence here, a dark and almost horror-flecked tone to proceedings, and a ferocious performance from the man himself. And that astonishing edit of Panjabi MC’s ‘Mundian To Bach Ke’ (or, specifically, the Jay Z-featuring version ‘Beware’) might be the best use of a song in a trailer since… well, Jordan Peele’s remix of ‘I Got 5 On It’ in Us.
Here’s Monkey Man’s official synopsis: “Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.”
It sounds like Monkey Man will be coming to screens on 5 April – at least in the States, with the UK trailer promising it’s ‘coming soon’ to our screens. More news on that as we get it. Either way, this one just shot to the top of the radar. We’ve long been fans of Dev Patel, wonderful actor. Bring on the start of Dev Patel, incredibly exciting filmmaker.