There were several incredible action films that hit in the 2020s, but one of the bestmartial arts moviesof the last few years featured an action star that no one could have expected.Martial arts genre fans have had a lot to lovesince 2020, and many of the releases that arrived seemed to come from nowhere.Everything Everywhere All At Onceis a filmmixing fantasy with martial arts and ended up as an Oscar favorite.Boy Kills WorldandNovocainealso took unique turns in the genre.
Even the Marvel Cinematic Universe had an incrediblemartial arts release withShang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.However, in 2024, one action movie hit theaters and delivered amazing martial arts action from an actor that no one had high expectations for.That movie starred Dev Patel, an actor who had never hinted that he had big action roles in his future. Despite that,Monkey Manmight be one of the best martial arts moviesof the last decade.
Why Monkey Man Is The Best Martial Arts Movie Of The 2020s So Far
Monkey Man Mixes Amazing Martial Arts With A Topical Story
WhenMonkey Manarrived in theatersin April 2024, no one knew what to expect. For one thing, this was actor Dev Patel’s directorial debut. Another thing that had fans puzzled was that Patel was not an action star, and this movie looked like aJohn Wickclone. However, once fans saw the movie,Patel proved he was the perfect person for the job, both behind the camera and as the star pulling off the martial arts fighting action. He delivered action that was both exciting to watch and actually had something to say.
Monkey Manis amartial arts revenge film, telling the story of Kid (Patel), an underground fighter who wears a monkey mask. He is looking for Rana Singh, the corrupt cop who killed his mother when he was a child. He gets a job at the club where Rana spends time, but his plan for revenge becomes complicated when he learns Rana has connections to a powerful spiritual and political figure in Tatana.
What makesMonkey Mansuch a great martial arts action movie is that it has incredible action, but it also doesn’t shy away from the themes surrounding the current state of politics in India. Thanks to the incredible action scenes and the smart storytelling about an underdog helping take down a fascist regime, the film was a box office and critical success and has an 89% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
Nothing About Dev Patel’s Past Roles Suggested He’d Be An Action Star
What is most interesting is that Dev Patel showed no signs beforehe directed and starred inMonkey Manthat he had what it took to be an action star. Before this film, Patel mostly appeared in dramas and action scenes remained limited. Hisbreakout was in the Danny Boyle Bollywood movieSlumdog Millionaire, which earned him a BAFTA nomination as a teenager who fought to rise from the slums of his home country to success thanks to a game show.
He also had major roles in the comedy-dramaThe Best Exotic Marigold Hoteland its sequel, and the HBO drama seriesThe Newsroom.He had roles in movies that contained action, such as the sci-fi movieChappieand the medieval fantasy adventure movieThe Green Knight,but he, in no way, had to pull off the action scenes expected from him inMonkey Man.However, Dev Patel proved he could pull off the drama in award-caliber movies likeLionand add in the martial arts skills fromMonkey Man,adding to an already impressive career.
Monkey Man
Cast
Monkey Man is a 2024 action-thriller film directed by and starring Dev Patel. Following his release from prison, a man known as “Kid” makes a living by engaging in anonymous underground fights in a mask where he is beaten down each night. However, after witnessing greed and corruption consuming his city, Kid breaks into the upper echelon of society to find those who destroyed his life and take them down.
