Monkey Man - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Everyone met actor Dev Patel in 2008 when he debuted in the hit film Slumdog Millionaire. Since then, the British actor has been charming audiences in every movie genre. From medieval horror in The Green Knight to romantic comedies in The Second Best Marigold Hotel, Patel is one brilliant and talented actor as versatile as they come. Throughout his years in front of the camera, Dev had the burning itch to get behind the big rig and make his own movie with Monkey Man. With the help of Jordan Peele (Get Out), and Patel's passion for action movies, Monkey Man is a solid first effort despite its glaring narrative issues. 

It's easy to see how much Patel loved the John Wick franchise in Monkey Man which follows someone's revenge story with killer action sequences that are highly creative and brutally violent. With a two-hour run-time, Patel should have shaved 30 minutes off and focused on the simplistic nature of a son seeking revenge on his murdered mother, however, he had much more to say about the politics and social climate in India that muddied the storied waters in his freshman debut. The groundwork and setup are on display but the execution and shameful slow pace keeps Monkey Man from thriving, which is a bummer because the action sequences are excellent. 

Patel stars as Kid, a man who witnessed his mother raped and murdered long ago by some very nasty and corrupt people. He'll never let it go. As he grows up he works under disguise to get closer to those responsible. He works his way up into the seedy underbelly of India through a high-end social club where he puts his revenge plan in motion. It takes a bit to get to the first action scene here, where the editing is a bit frenetic and off-the-wall, however, its welcome ferocity livens up the narrative which is why everybody is here in the first place - the action. Kid doesn't know how to be a stealthy assassin, flubbing his attempt at revenge, and is left for dead in the river. 

He survives and finds himself at a temple that nurses him back to health and teaches him how to fight for real. After he confronts his past and the trauma of seeing his mother murdered, he is ready to make that violent leap again. This time, he means business that results in the big, long climactic action scene that people have been talking about. This is where Patel shines, using the camera to immerse his audience inside the fight rather than an outsider. Being in the center of a punch, a knife attack, and flipping with Patel as he doest danger is remarkable on screen and can rival some of the better action moments of John Wick. But where the movie fails is the slog of a story that it tries to tell compellingly in its overtly long runtime. Bringing in the corruption of the police in India, the class system, and poverty was a bit too much to handle for Patel where it seemed he tried to throw everything and the kitchen sink into his first movie. 

It would have been served up better just focusing on the revenge and battling his demons this go-around. But Patel is a star through and through. Not only could he bring dance moves into his first feature film and his comedic chops into others, but, in this movie, he challenges himself with being an action star and he succeeds at selling how vicious he can truly be with his body and weapons. Monkey Man is a solid first effort and if Patel can understand the mechanics of a story, his sophomore effort will be knocked out of the park. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Monkey Man fights its way to 4K + Blu-ray + Digital Code via Universal. The two discs are housed inside a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork features a red, bloodied Patel in purple neon lighting looking angry. There is an insert for a digital code. It says this is a Collector's Edition, however, there is NOTHING collector about it. 

Monkey Man swings in with a 2160p UHD 4K image with HDR10 that looks stunning. The color palette starts with a very warm and rustic look inside the wrestling ring. Tons of orange and ambers surround the ring with shades of muted greens and yellows. This transitions into the stylized neon look of India. Purples, reds, and warmer colors pop out nicely. The HDR10 turns up the cooler colors when there are blue filters applied against the warmer backdrops which makes for an impression color design. Black levels are inky and bold with the skin tones coming through naturally. The contrasts between those early rusty colors to the modern club-like world are fascinating and look amazing on film. 

The detail is sharp with great closeups that reveal facial pores, beads of sweat and blood, individual hair and stubble, along with great textures in the wardrobe, weapons, and rickshaws. Wider shots never go soft either in this stylized venue of nightclubs and dark alleys. The HDR10 allows for the darker sequences to breathe more with detail as well so that the action can be seen easily. There are no major problems with this beautiful-looking action movie. 

This release comes with a booming Dolby Atmos mix that should satisfy any action movie fan. The sound effects are robust and boisterous from the start. The murder and rape of his mother bring in some terrible, haunting sounds that lead to the cheers and boos at the underground fight club. The wrestling ring makes thunderous claps when a body hits the mat as the surround speakers yell with audience jeers. The knife slices, gunshots, and vehicle chases all bring wonderful sound effects that pack a punch.

The low end of the bass has a lot of rumble to it during the action scenes where ambient noises of clubs and restaurants keep the atmosphere alive. The height speakers bring noises from above consistently. The score always adds to the suspense of the film and the dialogue is clean, clear, and easy to follow. There are no audio problems to speak of. 

There are about 60 minutes of bonus material here with an added audio commentary track. All of these extras are highly entertaining and worth watching, especially the commentary from Dev and the fight-scene explanations. 

• Audio Commentary - Dev Patel and three of his producers deliver one of the best commentary tracks in recent memory. Dev is very candid in how he talks about making this movie and it's easy to appreciate the work he put in. They have some great stories from the set and how they filmed all of the action scenes. It's a great listen.
• Alternate Opening (HD, 4 Mins.) - A different version of the start of the film that doesn't have as big of a brutal impact. 
• Alternate Ending (HD, 3 Mins.) - A different ending that is not as great as the one in the theatrical version. 
• Deleted Scenes ( HD, 23 Mins.) - Six sequences were left out, including a training montage and a death scene that is not entirely clear why it was left out. 
• A Labor of Love (HD, 9 Mins.) - This shows how much of an issue it was to make this movie from COVID-19 to changing locations quickly and taking on the double duty of acting and directing. 
• Monkey Man of Action (HD, 9 Mins.) - This is the coolest extra where the big fight scenes are discussed and shown how it was all made from camera techniques to rehearsals. 
• Fateful Encounters (HD, 8 mins.) - The protagonists and antagonists of the movie are explored and how they interact with Kid. 
• Roots Exposed (HD, 3 Mins.) - A quick explanation of the folktale that inspired some of the movie.

Monkey Man is a good first directorial effort from Dev Patel. Its action scenes are where it all shines from its brutal violence and impressive camera techniques to capture all the carnage. The story and its slow pacing in between fight scenes are where work is needed. But with time, Patel is going to be one great filmmaker. The 4K image looks excellent and the Dolby Atmos track sounds fantastic. The bonus features are exquisite too. Highly Recommended!

Order Your Copy of Monkey Man on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray