(Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
(“Monkey Man” trailer courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Maybe filmmakers and Hollywood executives have a GroupMe or text chain that moviegoers do not know about.
Those in the group possibly decided that the weekend of April 5 would represent a theme for new movie releases.
The theme this weekend must be the common man rebelling against the powers that be because “The First Omen” and “Monkey Man” touch on that theme, with the latter representing a glorious bloodbath for all the underdogs seeking retribution for the past wrongs that those in power have done to them and their loved-ones.
In the Bible, God says vengeance is His.
But in the story of the Monkey Man, “Bobby” or Kid (Dev Patel) lives out the tale of how a monkey got so close to the sun, or source of power, that he upset the gods and, in the meantime, challenged the status quo of Indian society.
Although “Money Man” intertwines Indian culture and customs, the story will resonate with those unfamiliar with the way of life depicted in Patel’s feature-length directorial debut.
In “Monkey Man” Kid is just the typical young adult trying to make his way in life even though he has multiple strikes against him not being born into the elite society of the country.
Despite his humble beginnings, he often reminisces about his loving and joyous childhood thanks to the life that his mother blessed him with.
But something changed in him along the way.
The happy and jovial young boy presented in “Monkey Man” flashbacks is not the person he turns out to be as an adult.
Life has taken away his joy it seems.
In “Monkey Man,” Kid is all business.
He fights for every penny he earns, literally.
Kid hustles to change his place in society.
But even his successes do not seem to satisfy him.
In “Monkey Man,” there is something still eating at him and driving him to accomplish whatever he has in the back of his mind to achieve.
Somehow, he needs to get close to Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar), a mover and shaker in Indian society.
However, for someone from the lower class to even get close to someone from the upper class of the country is almost impossible.
He learns that one of the only times that Queenie is even seen in public like a regular citizen is when she visits a local coffee shop.
Although the odds seem slim that he will meet this mover and shaker that could change his place in society, fate somehow has a way of putting a person right in the position that they need to be to get their mission accomplished.
When Kid finds some of Queenie’ stolen property and returns it, he is able to persuade her to give him a job in a private local establishment reserved for the rich and powerful of the country.
In “Monkey Man,” Kid, or Bobby as he tells his new colleagues to call him, works his way from a dishwasher to a waiter in no time.
The waiter job puts him in close and regular contact with the aristocrats of the society like the politicians and the police chiefs.
But why does Bobby want to be in the company of people who oppressed the common man like him and his family?
Is it the desire to move up in society?
Even if he attempts to move up in the social circle, will the elite ever embrace someone born into the lower class?
Is Bobby obsessed with earning a better living?
Maybe.
But how much more money could he be making as a waiter versus a dishwasher?
Yes, it is a better living.
But is a waiter’s job a life-changing promotion?
Whatever he wants, how far is he willing to go to get it?
The lengths that Bobby will go to get his desired result is what makes “Monkey Man.”
Unfortunately, the brutal violence and bloodshed might make moviegoers look away at times or risk regurgitating their refreshments from the concession stand.
But the culture in “Monkey Man” will make some reminisce about the African culture presented in “Black Panther.”
Kid gets his strength from the elders of his community like T’Challa did when Zuri (Forest Whitaker) prepared him to become the Black Panther.
And if Kid can harness those powers correctly, he can change the direction of his community and his country and maybe gets some get-back, payback or revenge to quote the “Godfather of Soul” James Brown!
The intriguing part of “Monkey Man” is why he wants vengeance so badly.
When moviegoers discover the reason, the bloodshed will become a little more tolerable.
Like “The First Omen,” the movie “Monkey Man” has some jamming music from a legend of the urban music scene.
Moviegoers will recognize Tina Turner’s 1993 hit “I Don’t Wanna Fight” from the soundtrack to “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
And in “Monkey Man,” Kid shows that love and loyalty have everything to do with it, at least for him and his mission to right a past wrong.
For his feature-length directorial debut, Patel does not disappoint as the film is directed well from the glitz and glamour of the upper class to the squalor of those living without luxuries in life.
Furthermore, “Monkey Man” is something different for its producer Jordan Peele (“Get Out”).
It does not seem like “Monkey Man” would be Peele’s cup of tea.
However, many would have said the same thing before he produced “Get Out.”
But then again, most people are probably not on that possible filmmaker GroupMe.
Members probably could foresee the type of future films that Patel and Peele would release.
Now, moviegoers get to see the depths of their talent.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
