This movie is already good on its own, but it becomes 10x better when you know what Patel went through to get it made. The movie has already cemented itself as a classic of the vengeance subgenre, with echoes of Woo and Park Chan-wook, while bursting with enough originality for it to avoid feeling like a carbon copy. It's a primal yell of a directorial debut from Dev Patel, already an underrated actor, who uses his unique experiences with religion and his own Indian heritage to bring the story of the film to life. You can smell the blood and sweat wafting through the screen

Dev Patel really said I'm gonna outdo the bathroom fight scene (MI:6) and the kitchen fight scene (Tenet) and the elevator fight scene (Winter Soldier) while also addressing social and political themes and call it "Monkey Man"

Ambitious…. But messy. There is some good stuff here but also some things that just didn’t work. At times the action looked phenomenal, at other times I couldn’t follow what was happening with the shakey cam and the way some of it was cut. I liked the story and exploring the past. The training break between 2nd and 3rd act was the weakest part of the movie. Also felt little unsatisfying with the way it wraps. I think Dev showed some good traits though and will definitely check out whatever he does next. Shout out to Shantel Copley, he’s great as always!

The movie came out right before a significant election in a country known for its diverse culture and vibrant democracy. Dev Patel shows everything that's been happening in the country for over 30 years-religious terrorism, ethnic cleansing, mob culture, and hate politics are all shown without holding back. Nowadays, due to Al, there are lots of song edits that make you feel sympathetic towards people you should be criticizing. This movie reminds us to be firm and stand up to technology that tries to control us instead of being fair.

Literally can't wrap my head around those saying this film is formulaic or been done a million times. The careful, inclusive, radical political commentary with a collectivist message alone sets it apart in the genre; the creative, fresh, daring, deftly masterful cinematography, hypnotic soundtrack, snappy choreography, and impeccable sound design take it into a stratosphere all it's own. It's a bold political piece as well as a tender, brutal love letter to action movies as a genre and cinema as a whole. Add to this the complications they ran in production with COVID, cameras breaking, no funding - this is a goddam masterpiece. Dev had to shoot parts of the film on his camera and they had to glue breakaway tables back together so they could use them again. Never before in my life have I been so utterly transported by and emotionally invested in an action flick, despite being a huge fan of the genre. That this film is still not released in India and may never be is a testament to Dev's commitment to his message and refusal to water it down. Kudos to Jordan Peele for producing so it could remain intact I am absolutely on the edge of my seat to see what Patel does next.