Parents' Guide to Monkey Man

Patel's feature directing debut is unexpectedly satisfying. It's essentially an homage to the many other action movies that have come before it, from Enter the Dragon and Oldboy to John Wick and Rocky. But while the fighting-shooting-punching-kicking-stabbing-throwing-running-falling choreography and training montage elements may be familiar, Patel's camera approach is different. He chooses hand-held cameras and goes in close; at times, it feels as if the camera operator might be in physical danger. Normally the effect of that would be claustrophobic and nauseating, but here it somehow works. Maybe it's because of the movie's bold, threatening color scheme or its sheer kinetic energy.

Or maybe it's because of the movie's "monkey" themes, which bring in the classic story of the Hindu deity Hanuman as a character metaphor and make the main character more relatable. Even the training sequences click, with Patel hammering on a bag of rice while a tabla player provides a rhythmic beat for him. But it's the final villain who works best of all. He's Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande), a cult leader who's running for office and keeps his loyal supporters enthralled by wiping out "undesirables" and "making India great again." The final showdown is most rewarding. And then there's the fact that Monkey Man adds some noteworthy diversity to the canon of mainstream movie action heroes. It will be interesting to see whether Patel keeps adding to the story.