Dev Patel’s Directorial Debut ‘Monkey Man’ Can’t Fight Off Its Flaws

It’s unbelievable that Monkey Man, Dev Patel’s raucous directorial debut—which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival March 11—almost skipped the big screen. Not necessarily because it deserves to be there as opposed to plopped onto a streaming platform, but because it’s impossible for any streaming execs to have thought Patel’s film would play best on a television.

The movie had originally been acquired by Netflix, which bought the worldwide rights to distribute the film back in 2021. But Jordan Peele, having a distinct taste and eye for the visual spectacle in his own films, saw a larger vision—specifically dozens of feet larger. Peele knew that Monkey Man belonged on the silver screen and bought the rights to produce it under his company, Monkeypaw. How fitting!

Thank goodness Peele stepped in. Without him, Monkey Man’s scattered merits would be much more difficult to deduce, especially on a smaller screen. While Patel certainly has vision, his first film is wildly scattershot and tonally erratic. Despite its initial suggestion of a John Wick-like scope, Monkey Man quickly falls lopsided as Patel’s story tries to balance the heft of his heart and the immensity of his affection for classic action films. This imbalance makes for a watch that isn’t just dissatisfying, but disappointing—especially considering all of the promise hidden just between the seams.

Read more at The Daily Beast.