MANILA, Philippines — Nothing is holding Oscar nominee Dev Patel back as he stars, writes and produces his action-driven directorial debut “Monkey Man.”
Patel portrays a nameless underground fighter, only known as “Kid” in the credits, who loses matches for profit. He gains more money if he bleeds.
The protagonist soon makes his way into employment in an exclusive club where the rich and powerful gather, including the police chief who killed his mother. This leads Kid to ultimately set out on a path for revenge.
What follows is a well-structured tale by a first-time feature director and writer that stands out from action films of late, with the film standing its own as a potential blockbuster in the making.
The actor has come a lon g way from starring in “Skins” and “Slumdog Millionaire,” to an Academy Award-nominated performance in “Lion” and leading man turns in “The Personal History of David Copperfield” and “The Green Knight.”
Production was a big problem in getting the film made with the pandemic and injuries adding to it, but with the involvement of Oscar winner Jordan Peele, the film manages to keep its viewers on the edge.
Tapping Peele might have been a gamble, even for an established star like Patel holding the reigns on four key fronts, but Peele clearly saw Patel’s vision, and it resulted in a risk that is paying off the dividends.
Related: Andy Serkis to direct , star in ‘Gollum’ movie for ‘Lord of the Rings’
It’s difficult not to compare the film to other recent action movies — “John Wick” is namedropped — with a training sequence occuring and so many tools are featured a la Jackie Chan movies.
And yet Patel manages to make “Monkey Man” stand out both on the action choreography front and as a story, borrowing from the legend of “Hanuman” to craft a revenge tale that feels Shakespearan in nature.
Patel and his team of writers even involve politics and religion into the framework — a community treated as outcasts play a significant part in the protagonist’s journey — that it appears more than just flying fists and quick cuts.
Credit is due to its team of multiple editors, namely, Joe Galdo, David Jancso and Tim Murrell, who curated numbered sequences that feel exciting (one might be surprised by how many action set pieces there are).
The cinematography of Sharone Meir, who shot “Whiplash,” and the score of Jed Kurzel also deserve a pat on the back.
There is one money shot of Patel’s character in “Monkey Man” that surely Keanu Reeves or even Tom Cruise might be envious of, but take nothing away from Patel because he truly deserves this moment of success.
So much lies ahead for Patel now, even outside of another “Monkey Man” project, and the world better prepare for what he cooks up next.
“Monkey Man” opens in Philippine cinemas on May 15 and is classified by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) with an R-18 rating.
RELATED: Alden Richards hopeful for Kathryn Bernardo reunion movie
PERTH, Australia – Ukrainian boxing great Vasiliy Lomachenko clinched the IBF lightweight world title on Sunday after producing a supreme performance to stop Australia’s George Kambosos in the 11th round in Perth.
In the main event at a sold-out 15,000 RAC Arena, heavy favorite Lomachenko defied the rowdy home crowd and dominated throughout.
Lomachenko left the Australian bloodied and sealed the 135-pound belt in the 11th round after dropping Kambosos several times before the fight was stopped by the referee.
It was the first IBF lightweight belt in the glittering career of former WBA and WBC lightweight champion Lomachenko, who has also won world titles featherweight and super featherweight. He is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
“I’m again world champion. I want to come back home and spend time with my family,” said 36-year-old Lomachenko, who remained coy on his future.
Kambosos, a former champion, was unable to reproduce the form from his famous upset of Teofimo Lopez in 2021 at Madison Square Garden.
His pre-fight taunts of sending the 36-year-old Lomachenko into retirement fell flat.
“He’s one of the best of all time. We tried our best, but he’s a true champion,” said Kambosos, who was defeated for the third time in 24 fights.
“I gave it my all. I gave it everything in my training camp.”
Both fighters had a point to prove after losing to American Devin Haney in recent years.
Kambosos, who made his ring walk to the Eminem song ‘Till I Collapse’, needed to rely on his formidable striking and size advantage.
He came out aggressively and attacked the body of Lomachenko, who is sometimes an unusually slow starter.
Lomachenko got back into the contest through trademark lightning foot speed and counter-punching.
The brash Kambosos was unruffled and taunted Lomachenko after trading a flurry of heavy blows to end the third round.
The partisan crowd was right behind the Australian, but southpaw Lomachenko stepped up the intensity in the middle rounds and landed several stinging left-handed jabs that rattled his opponent.
Lomachenko strengthened his grip on the fight in the latter rounds, with several hard left-handed blows leaving Kambosos with blood flowing from his right eye.
Lomachenko thought he had knocked Kambosos down in the 11th, though it was ruled a slip, but then a vicious body shot did drop the Australian for an eight count.
Several more ferocious blows prompted the referee to stop the fight after Kambosos sank to his knee in his own corner, moments before the towel came in from Kambosos’s trainer.
The showdown had been a long time coming, with plans falling through in 2019 before a fight three years later was scuppered when Lomachenko returned home to his family because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the two world title fights on the undercard, Mexican Pedro Guevara beat Australia’s Andrew Moloney with a contentious split decision to claim the interim WBC super flyweight belt.
An aggrieved Moloney, a former champion who battled through a torn bicep, announced his retirement immediately after the fight.
“I’m done with this sport. That’s the last you’ll see of me,” the 33-year-old said.
Australian Cherneka Johnson stripped England’s Nina Hughes of her women’s WBA bantamweight belt after winning the 10-round battle in a majority decision.
There was confusion after the ring announcer initially awarded the victory to Hughes after misreading the scores.