Summary

• Kid's journey from lowly fighter to skilled vigilante is expertly showcased in thrilling fight scenes in "Monkey Man."
• Dev Patel impresses as both director and action star in his directorial debut, with potential to be the best action movie of 2024.
• The gritty and innovative action sequences in "Monkey Man" highlight Kid's evolution as a fighter seeking revenge on corrupt figures.

Dev Patel's directorial debut, Monkey Man, is packed with brilliant action scenes that showcase his potential as both a director and an action star. Monkey Man follows a man known only as Kid as he seeks revenge on the corrupt police chief who killed his mother and instigated the burning of his village. Kid starts out as a lowly fighter who wears a monkey mask to imitate the Hindu warrior deity Hanuman, but he works his way into a job which gives him access to of India's high society. Along his journey, he develops his fighting skills and his philosophy.

Monkey Man has earned positive reviews for its powerful political story, but mostly for its gripping fight scenes. Dev Patel hasn't shown off his martial arts skills before, but his punchy direction accentuates every move perfectly. Monkey Man features a range of different fight scenes, and Patel uses a confident array of different visual techniques to highlight the shifts between disorganized MMA contests and chaotic fights to the death. Monkey Man could be the best action movie of 2024, and its thrilling fight scenes are a big reason why.

15 Kong Vs. King Cobra

Monkey Man's shortest fight is a great gag

Kid's first fight after emerging from his training at the temple is laughably brief. The posters for the fight herald the "Return of the Beast," so the crowd are extremely disappointed when the fight consists of one swift roundhouse kick to King Cobra's jaw. This is the first fight that shows what Kid is capable of after his training. Putting him up against a fighter which caused him so much trouble earlier on is a great way of showing his progression. His brutal knockout is a great punch line after the long set-up of his training montage and Tiger's ostentatious introduction.

14 Kid Kills Baba Shakti

The final fight completes Kid's journey

Monkey Man's ending brings Kid's revenge mission to a close, as he confronts Baba Shakti at a previously unseen pool in Queenie's. Kid's rage mostly focuses on Rana, but he comes to understand that he needs to dismantle the power structures which allow people like Rana to carry out their abhorrent acts of violence. Baba Shakti is presented as a spiritual leader who lends his to a nationalist political party. His final confrontation with Kid banishes any notion that he might be more pious or virtuous than anyone else, as he pulls out the short blade concealed in his sandals.

13 Kid Takes Down The Guards Outside Queenie's

Kid becomes Hanuman before approaching Queenie's

Kid's path toward Queenie's is fairly didactic, but he is armed with new skills and a new purpose. His brief confrontation with the guards outside shows just how far he has grown in a short period of time. He dispatches them each with clinical efficiency. They are merely a blip on his radar. Before approaching the guards, Kid rips off his monkey mask, now bleached white to symbolize his embrace of Hanuman. With the white fur of a Hanuman langur, Kid embodies the spirit of the Hindu deity. Monkey Man's Hanuman references reflect Kid's emotional, physical and spiritual evolution.

12 Kid Rides The Elevator To Queenie's

The brief fight has one of the movie's best moments

Much like the scene outside with the guards, Kid's elevator ride to Queenie's is also an indicator of how far his skills have progressed. But it's also an indicator of his newfound commitment. During his first assassination attempt on Rana, Kid hesitates to pull the trigger, but throughout his assault on Queenie's he is content to kill anyone who stands in his way. The elevator fight isn't the best action scene in Monkey Man, but it does have one of the movie's most unforgettable moments, as Kid drives a knife through a man's throat using his teeth.

11 Monkey Man Vs. King Cobra

Kid is introduced as a faceless warrior

The first fight scene in Monkey Man takes place after a short prologue from Kid's childhood. This is his first introduction as an adult, an anonymous fighter wearing a mask in the ring. The fight highlights Kid's high tolerance for pain, not to mention his financial desperation, but it's his conversation with Tiger afterward that reveals more about him. Kid probably could have won the fight as Monkey Man, but he let his opponent get the better of him in hope of a better payout. Tiger's events are all about the show, rather than real sporting merit.

10 Kid Wakes Up In A Police Van

Kid has to fight off the police officers with his hands cuffed together

After Kid's botched assassination attempt against Rana, he flees through the streets at night. After being captured following a spectacular car crash, he regains consciousness on the floor of a police van. Although he's surrounded by police officers and his hands are cuffed together, he finds a way to overcome the odds and escape once again. The close quarters of the police van is the perfect setting to showcase Kid's hand-to-hand combat skills, and the claustrophobic camera angles help to emphasize the desperate nature of the situation.

9 Monkey Man Vs. Shere Khan

Monkey Man's second fight gives a glimpse of what he can do

Monkey Man's second fight is even more exciting than his first, and it also facilitates an important story beat. By inviting Alphonso and tipping him off about the result, Kid gains his trust and earns himself a promotion that will eventually get him into Queenie's VIP room, where he finally comes face to face with Rana. He fights with a renewed energy against Shere Khan, another one of Tiger's fighters named after an Indian stereotype. He urges him to punch harder, putting on a satisfying show for the crowd before unleashing his true potential.

8 Kid Fights Off A Man With An Ax

One of Monkey Man's most brutal moments

After bursting free from the police van, Kid has to flee through a dimly lit building, only to discover that he has inadvertently led the police to a brothel. The owner comes at him with an ax, despite the chaos unfolding all around them. Kid still has his handcuffs on from his encounter with the police, and this adds even more jeopardy to the fight. The close-up shot of Kid biting off the man's nose is a particularly visceral moment in a movie packed with violent action.

7 Kid Fights Rana In The VIP Room

Kid finally gets his revenge in a one-on-one showdown

The climactic showdown of Monkey Man takes place in Queenie's VIP room, the same place where Kid first lays eyes on Rana. The outcome of the fight seems like a formality after Kid displays what he's truly capable of downstairs. Before the two men engage in combat, the camera pans up to a mirror on the ceiling, which suggests that the gods are looking down on the action, emphasizing how Kid is destined for victory. There are other reflective ornaments dotted around the VIP room, perhaps as a subtle nod to the final fight in Enter the Dragon.

6 Kong Vs. The Bear

Monkey Man's return to the ring highlights his evolution as a fighter

Although he knocks King Cobra out within seconds upon his return to the ring, Kid has to take on a much more intimidating challenger. Nicknamed "The Bear" by Tiger, the giant fighter stands head and shoulders above Kong. The fact that Kid can outmaneuver and outpunch him shows how his skills have developed. This is the fight in which Kid finally wins over the crowd. This is symbolic of the revolution he aims to inspire, especially since his opponent seems so much more powerful than he is at first.