Monkey Man (2024)

Set in India, a young man (Dev Patel) ekes out a living by fighting in a fight club wearing a monkey mask. He is emotionally and literally scarred by his childhood when he saw his mother (Adithi Kalkunte) murdered and set on fire by a corrupt police chief (Sikandar Kher). When as an adult, he encounters the police chief at a brothel and cocaine den under the cover of a "social club", it sets in motion a plan for revenge that will end in an orgy of violence. Co-produced, co-written and directed by actor Dev Patel, best known for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE in his directorial debut. The film was a passion project for Patel as there was ten years from the inception of the movie (2014) to its theatrical release (2024). It's an action movie but there's a backbone of an emotional and cultural core (including a caste system) that lifts it out of the usual blood splattered revelry (though there's plenty of that here, too). The film is unusual in addressing the discrimination against India's Hijra community (transgender and eunuch) and the film takes them from victims to active participants against their oppressors. The movie is not without its flaws however. The violence is so excessive that at some point I became inured toward it. With Sobhita Dhulipala, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Makarand Deshpande and Ashwini Kalsekar, excellent as a vicious brothel madam terrorizing her staff.