Prime Video just added one of my favorite movies of the year

Prime Video just added Monkey Man and you should definitely check it out this week.

When I wrote about Monkey Man earlier this year, I called it my most anticipated film of the year. The trailer looked amazing and I was hoping we had the next John Wick on our hands.

@tomsguide ♬ Lo-Fi Hip Hop – NAO-K

After seeing the film in the cinema, I can admit that we didn’t quite Get the next “John Wick.” First of all, the trailer shows a film that essentially feels like “What if John Wick was from Mumbai?” The actual film is more nuanced. The story of this film contains a whole range of socio-political commentary that simply does not exist in the “John Wick” universe. I wish the trailer had highlighted some of these nuances, as it gives “Monkey Man” something that sets it apart from other action films.

Anyway, I promise you that the film is worth watching for both cinephiles and action movie fans. Here’s what “Monkey Man” is all about and why you should definitely watch the film on Prime Video.

What is “Monkey Man” about?

Monkey Man | Official Trailer – YouTube

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“Monkey Man” is the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actor Dev Patel. But he also wrote and produced the film and stars as the film’s protagonist, known only as Kid.

Kid is a young man who survives by fighting as an anonymous fighter wearing a monkey mask in the underground fight club Tiger’s Temple. After the corrupt police chief Rana Singh (Sikandar Kher) massacres Kid’s entire village – including Kid’s mother (Adithi Kalkunte) – he is outcast and dreams of taking revenge on Rana.

One day he finally infiltrates the city’s dark elite and gets a job in the luxury brothel Kings, which Rana and other social elites often visit. Once there, Kid works his way up the ladder so he can finally put his revenge plan into action.

“Monkey Man” isn’t quite “John Wick,” but it’s still great

Dev Patel in

(Image credit: Universal Pictures/YouTube)

Again, the plot summary above feels like a standard action movie setup. The villain does injustice to the protagonist, the protagonist trains to fight the villain – violence ensues.

But Rana is not the real villain of the film. He is merely a pawn for Baba Shakti, a guru and leader of a nationalist party who secretly pulls the strings behind crackdowns on minority groups like the ones that destroyed Kid’s Village.

This turns “Monkey Man” into something more. In the second half of the film, a pure revenge story turns into a hero’s journey that explores the struggles of marginalized people in society. It’s relatively well executed and I wish the film had started this story earlier as it’s the more interesting storyline.

“Monkey Man” isn’t flawless. The transition from the revenge story to the hero’s journey is not seamless and the film lacks cohesion at times. At times I took issue with Patel’s directorial choices and the film probably could have been a bit shorter.

However, “Monkey Man” is still very good, as are the action sequences and choreographed fights excellent. There are fight sequences, especially in the second half of the film, that could rival any martial arts film. Now that it’s available on Prime Video, be sure to check out this action movie that’s been one of my favorites so far this year.

Keep streaming “Monkey Man.” Prime Video Now

Prime Video just added one of my favorite movies of the year – check out Monkey Man now

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