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A Man of Action Reviews

A Man of Action isn’t a film that will necessarily be for everyone, but it’s certainly worth a shot.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Jan 4, 2023

It does have great acting, character development, and atmosphere, and once you get used to the pace, the film's storyline can become engrossing...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 17, 2022

Despite being agile and dynamic, the film is vague and superficial. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Dec 5, 2022

At its best in action. But when it’s inactive, it lumbers along, with Ballesta giving Lucio enough dash but not enough playful twinkle to compensate for that sluggish pace.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Dec 4, 2022

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A man of action, common sense media reviewers.

Story about real-life anarchist has violence, language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The film focuses on causing anarchy and destabiliz

Lucio believes that the working class should be tr

This Spanish-language film featuring Spanish actor

Scenes with gunfire (no deaths), fights, bank robb

Erotic magazines, kissing.

Swear words including "s--t," "son of a bitch," "g

Scenes with smoking and drinking.

Parents need to know that A Man of Action is a film based on the life of Lucio Urtubia, an anarchist whose bank robbing and laundering schemes got him in the crosshairs of the French and American governments. The film has scenes of violence, including police chases, car chases, fights, and gunfire. There's…

Positive Messages

The film focuses on causing anarchy and destabilizing world banking systems. However, the anarchist characters have good intentions behind their crimes -- they want to help the working classes of the world.

Positive Role Models

Lucio believes that the working class should be treated fairly. Despite committing crimes, Lucio and his band of comrades have empathy and compassion for others in the working class.

Diverse Representations

This Spanish-language film featuring Spanish actors isn't as diverse as it could be -- the film focuses primarily on white Europeans, with only three Black background characters and none in the main cast (there are also no other people of color in the film). It does feature an actress with dwarfism, Monica Lamberti, as part of the main cast, and she isn't defined by her disability.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Scenes with gunfire (no deaths), fights, bank robberies, car chases, and police violence.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Swear words including "s--t," "son of a bitch," "goddamn it," a--holes," "ass," "f--k," "bastards," and potentially ableist words and phrases ("are you deaf," "idiots").

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that A Man of Action is a film based on the life of Lucio Urtubia, an anarchist whose bank robbing and laundering schemes got him in the crosshairs of the French and American governments. The film has scenes of violence, including police chases, car chases, fights, and gunfire. There's erotic magazines and kissing. The film also has smoking and drinking scenes. Language includes "s--t," "son of a bitch," "goddamn it," a--holes," "ass," "f--k," "bastards," and potentially ableist words and phrases ("are you deaf," "idiots"). To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

A MAN OF ACTION is based on the life story of anarchist Lucio Urtubia (Juan José Ballesta), who concocted a series of bank robbery and money laundering schemes to steal from the French banks and give back to the working class. His biggest scheme, involving travelers' checks, put him on the radar of the American government, which wanted Urtubia put behind bars before he further eroded trust in the banking system.

Is It Any Good?

A Man of Action has the bones of a good, intriguing story. After all, learning about anarchist Lucio Urtubia (José Ballesta) and seeing his cat-and-mouse game with the French and American governments dramatized should be engaging. However, the film is a little drawn-out, so the battle of wits between Lucio and the police isn't as nail-bitingly tense as it could be.

However, if you like a thriller that has a slower pace (more like a drama), then A Man of Action is for you. It does have great acting, character development, and atmosphere, and once you get used to the pace, the film's storyline can become engrossing. But if you want a film that focuses solely on action, this film might leave you feeling a bit bored or unsatisfied.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Lucio Urtubia's life. What did Lucio believe in? Why was he willing to put his life on the line for his beliefs?

Why does Lucio believe he's an anarchist?

What do Lucio and his team try to accomplish with bank robberies?

How does Lucio show empathy for the working class? Why is this an important character strength ?

Does Lucio balance his fatherhood duties with his anarchist goals? How so?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : November 30, 2022
• Cast : Juan José Ballesta , Luis Callejo , Liah O'Prey , Ben Temple , Alexandre Blazy
• Director : Javier Ruiz Caldera
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Thriller
• Character Strengths : Empathy
• Run time : 111 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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A Man of Action (2022)

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A Man of Action review: A snappy David v. Goliath retelling

Netflix’s drama ‘A Man of Action’ retells the real-life story of the Paris-based Spanish anarchist Lucio Urtubia. A bricklayer, a bank robber, and a forger — Urtubia becomes a popular voice for the anarchist movement while fighting the world’s biggest banks.

Lucio Urtubia, a Spanish man who bears resentment against the banks moves to Paris and eventually gets familiar with an anarchist movement. Budding up with fellow anarchists while doing a job as a bricklayer, Lucio becomes a fierce voice for the ideology.

Soon, he starts robbing banks with Quico Sabaté and helps the movement with some of the loot every time. However, when the police close in, he has to part ways with Sabaté and start a small group focused on bank expropriation.

With the help of Arturiano, Patrick, and Petite Jeanne, Lucio begins expropriating banks with fake dollar bills. Working alongside him is his new girlfriend Anne, another rebellious spirit and intelligent woman.

Later, the police arrest him and he has to spend some time in jail, during which he saves another inmate Charlie and befriends him. After his release, his anarchist efforts go cold and he focuses on his wife Anne and his daughter Juliette.

Eight years later, however, the increasing use of traveller checks gives Lucio an idea for another expropriation operation and helping other anarchists from it. He beings forging checks with his pals and other anarchists and quickly gains notoriety.

The City Bank executives send their man to Paris to deal with the concerning problem. Before their last play at a huge cash-in, Lucio and his pals are arrested, but shortly thereafter, they all get bail except for Lucio.

The ending of ‘A Man of Action’ sees Lucio strike a deal with City Bank, following which all charges against him are dropped and he gets to financially support the anarchist movement with a significant amount of money, ultimately reuniting with his family as well.

Performances

The script and the settings, based on real-life events, ask for the actors to switch between different languages. All the characters required to deliver lines in different languages do so with a commendable finesse.

The performances delivered by the leads are great but overall, ‘A Man of Action’ is nothing to run home about in terms of the acting prowess flexed on screen.

‘A Man of Action’ is a fast-paced retelling of real events that took place from the 40s right to the 70s. The concise nature of the storytelling provides for a fun binge experience.

The snappy editing lends to the commendable pacing, along with a couple of creative moments early on in the film.

With the significant amount of real-life pedigree that the story can thrive off of, the film doesn’t feel like a grand retelling of events that should have felt much more cinematic.

The film suffers from the trite colour palette that nearly every other contemporary movie suffers with, which can take one out of the narrative momentarily and feel rather incongruent with the period-specific environment that the scenes otherwise exhibit.

Although not nearly as remarkable of a cinematic feat as the many tremendous, world-changing feats of the character it tells the story of, ‘A Man of Action’ is a concise, fast-paced, and entertaining flick that’s worth the binge.

A Man of Action

Director: Javier Ruiz Caldera

Date Created: 2022-11-30 13:30

Also Read: A Man of Action ending explained: How does Lucio avoid prison time?

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Is Netflix’s A Man of Action Based on a True Story?

Originally titled ‘Un Hombre de Acción,’ Netflix’s Spanish crime film ‘A Man of Action’ follows the life of Lucio Urtubia, a Spanish army officer who ends up in Paris after getting accused of smuggling. Starting a new chapter of his life as a bricklayer, he gets attracted to anarchist ideas and notions, which leads him to an anarchist group.

The ideology inspires Lucio to wage war against banks, which are nothing but institutions of injustice in his eyes. Hence, he robs the First National City Bank branches using fake traveler’s cheques and astounds French law enforcement and the American banking giant. Intrigued by the Javier Ruiz Caldera directorial, we have found out whether Lucio’s life and actions are based on a true story. Here’s everything you need to know about the same!

Is A Man of Action Based on a True Story?

Yes, ‘A Man of Action’ is based on a true story. It is a biographical film that revolves around the life of Lucio Urtubia, who was exiled to France in 1954 upon getting reportedly accused of smuggling on the Spanish-French border as a military officer. In Paris, he restarted his life as a bricklayer, a profession which led him to the Libertarian Youth of the Fédération Anarchiste, an anarchist organization. Soon, Lucio became heavily involved in the organization’s activities and became an anarchist.

After Lucio’s association with the anarchist organization, as per reports, he was asked to hide an anarchist named Quico Sabaté. As per reports and as seen in the film, the latter introduced him to several members and families associated with the revolutionary cause, especially those who had connections with CNT, a confederation of anarchist unions. To financially help the same, Lucio robbed several banks. The money he garnered from robberies was often used to strengthen the anarchist cause.

After the robberies, Lucio’s attention turned to producing counterfeit money. He aspired to use it to destroy capitalist societies and even reportedly met Che Guevara in 1962. Lucio changed his plans when his aspirations didn’t lead him anywhere. After counterfeiting, he realized he could bring down a prominent American bank using forged traveler’s cheques. Lucio targeted the First National City Bank, presently known as Citibank, by producing two lakhs of traveler’s cheques that had a value of $100 each.

Reports state that Lucio used the money to fund guerrilla movements across Latin America and Europe, specifically, such as Tupamaros in Uruguay, Montoneros in Argentina, etc. Soon, Lucio started to be known as the Spanish “Robin Hood,” “El Zorro Vasco” (“the Basque Fox”), and “El Bandido Bueno” (“the Good Bandit”). When the First National City Bank got severely affected due to his forged traveler’s cheques, he became one of the most wanted criminals in the country.

Several agencies, including the CIA, issued warrants against Lucio. He was captured and imprisoned for six months after being convicted of forgery. However, Lucio wasn’t ready to spend much of his life in prison. He threatened the First National City Bank by making it clear that the forged traveler’s cheques would continue harming the institution’s finances if they didn’t reach an agreement with him.

Rather than choosing to witness Lucio’s imprisonment, the First National City Bank reached an agreement with him out of the court to put an end to the consequential predicament. The bank paid him “a lot of money” for the “tools” he used to produce the cheques. Even after gaining the money, Lucio continued his efforts to propagate the ideology of anarchism. Till his death, he believed he did the right thing for the sake of people who suffered injustice. To reiterate, ‘A Man of Action’ is an authentic portrayal of Lucio’s life and times.

Read More: Where Was Netflix’s A Man of Action Filmed?

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A man of action.

2022 ‘Un hombre de acción’ Directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera

Loosely inspired by the life of Lucio Urtubia, explore the figure of the so-called anarchist 'Robin Hood,' who ran a legendary counterfeiting operation in Paris that put him in the crosshairs of America's largest bank, when he managed to obtain a huge amount of money by forging traveler's checks to invest in causes he believed in.

Juan José Ballesta Miki Esparbé Luis Callejo Liah O'Prey Alexandre Blazy Josean Bengoetxea Philip Schurer Daniel Chamorro Ben Temple Jacobo Marrero Fred Tatien Ana Polvorosa Georges Celestin Jon Viar Tomás Pozzi Bastien Ughetto Ken Appledorn Timothy Cordukes Billy Jeffries Iñaki Lartigue Stephan Wiks Yann Berriet Juan Olivares Monica Lamberti Gabriela Blin Anna Caponnetto Yanet Sierra Yaël Belicha Alba López Show All… Endika Landa Maria Ribera Michel Noher Matthieu Duret Philip Stanton Jordi Aguilar Carlos Zabala Patrick Paumier Verónica Polo José Carlos Rega Javier Laorden Montse Gabriel Cindy Fuentes Hugo Morenilla Edward J. Bentley David Laferrière Alèx Moreu Chete Guzmán Mathilde Legrand Alice Hard Marta Rama Thomas Albertini Jean Paul Szybura

Director Director

Javier Ruiz Caldera

Producers Producers

Edmon Roch Javier Ugarte

Writer Writer

Patxi Amezcua

Casting Casting

Ana Sainz-Trápaga Patricia Álvarez de Miranda

Editor Editor

Alberto de Toro

Cinematography Cinematography

Sergi Vilanova

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Juantxo Grafulla Juan Carlevaris Raul Kingtai

Lighting Lighting

Xavier Sarasa Roberto Escudero Edgar Solé Raul Peña Andrés Tewel

Camera Operator Camera Operator

Additional photography add. photography.

Deirdre Canle

Production Design Production Design

César Macarrón

Art Direction Art Direction

Daniel Hernández

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Pablo Trasancos

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Àlex Villagrasa

Stunts Stunts

Sergi Subirà Eric Nieto

Sound Sound

Isaac Bonfill

Makeup Makeup

Karol Tornaria

La Pulga y el Elefante Ikiru Films La Terraza Films

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

English French Spanish

Releases by Date

30 nov 2022, releases by country.

• Digital Netflix
• Digital 12 Netflix

Netherlands

Philippines.

• Digital NC16 Netflix

South Africa

South korea, united arab emirates.

111 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Julia Grohlo🇨🇦 🇻🇳 ★★

Netflix making a far-left film screaming against capitalism. I'll have to check if this thing was released on April 1st because coming from a platform who doesn't pay its artists, it's the lamest joke of 2022. All this for a true story about a fraud who supposedly fights the system but accepts money from the bank itself to stay free. Anarchist from wish

Review by joshrowley ★ 3

Curious; faltering; long; overscored; questionable; retro; stylish; uncompelling; underwhelming.

Review by Jason Still ★★★

Covers a lot of ground at pace, so much so that it’s sometimes tricky to tell how much time has passed and to gain any emotional grip…

…that said, its crisp and zippy storytelling improves with its runtime, helped along by Rodero’s energetic heisty score and an engaging central performance by Ballesta as the real-life modern day Robin Hood…

…the ending is rushed - a mini-series may well have suited the story better - but A Man of Action has a tenacious verve befitting of this extraordinary individual at its heart, though it’s sad to think the world he was trying to change has, if anything, become even more unfair as the gap between rich & poor continues to widen.

Review by sillycatmom ★★★★★

What a nice surprise. This movie filmed in Vigo,Spain was a true story. Well loosely based on their “ Robin Hood” , Lucio Urtubia a man who tried to help poor and in need of money organizations. He also was a counterfeiter. He did this a long while. He is portrayed as a gentle man who tries to help. I kept watching this movie as he was so nice. He wasn’t violent and I really wanted to see it through. Well-Done!

Review by Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸 ★★★★

Spanish filmmaker Javier Ruiz Caldera was responsible (alongside co-director Alberto De Toro) for one of my most pleasant surprises of 2022, the Zombies-in-the-Spanish-Civil-War movie Valley of the Dead . He's done it again here with Man of Action, an epic retelling of the life of Lucio Urtubia, a humble Spanish bricklayer turned anarchist folk hero who, across thirty or so years from the 60s to the early 80s in France, attacked international capitalist interests by a series of bank robberies and the masterminding of an impressive travellers cheques counterfeiting operation.

Review by G I V E N C H Y | ⏳🔜 TRIGGER ★★½

Catch me yes you can 

فيلم يعتبر نوعاً ما سيرة ذاتية للناشط الاسباني في حركة اللاسلطوية لوسيو ارتوبيا وهو لص بنوك ولكن دافعه للسرقة لم يكن الطمع والجشع وانما كانت دوافع سياسيه واجتماعيه 

استذكر قول كيكو زميل لوسيو نحن لا نسرق الاموال بل نصادرها .. يجعلون الجريمة اكثر اناقه كما يفعل العالم بأكمله 

الحقيقة ان الفيلم ممتع بفكرته وفي بدايته لانني لا اتذكر متى اخر مره شاهدت فيلم بعد رائعه سبيلبرغ امسكني ان استطعت فيلم يستعرض لعبة القط والفأر بين السلطات والمتمردين ولكن هذه المره البطل يستلهم فلسفة روبن هود في الاخذ من الاغنياء واعطاء الفقراء هو لا يريد ازيداد الاغنياء ثراءً وازدياد الفقراء فقراً 

الفيلم يبدأ بأيقاع متسارع ب التنقل بين الحقب الزمنيه المختلفه ل اضفاء شعور الانتماء والتعاطف…

Review by Jimbo without the Jet-Set ★★½

Spanish crime drama that’s also a dramatised biographical film. I like crime films set in the 60’s~70’s Europe and this ticked a few of the important boxes: cool cars, raincoats and hats, and Tommy guns!

Would’ve given it another half a star if they toned down the music. It is overused and distracting.

Review by hmmm_yes ★★★

Worth it for the 30-second radicalizations: ask your target if they hate authority --> they say yes --> tell them they're an anarchist --> start punching the cops

My actual criticism though is that by making Lucio Urtubia the singular hero, you lose sight of the scope & collectivity of the counterfeiting operation and anarchist scenes he was a part of. There were several workshops, not one, and imagine all the compelling characters that passed through them, and the ways in which they collaborated. The great man trope in this context is a dumb way to portray these circles in addition to being the tiredest narrative of all time. Oh well.

Also I liked when he peed himself

Review by sophia ★★★

um marmanjao desse falando em anarquia

Review by Michael Vazquez ★½

It was too slow, long and boring.

Review by Manu Collado ★★½

Una pena que con la presencia que gasta Juan José Ballesta, de semblante tan dolorosamente español que diría Romero Esteo, actúe tan mal. Una peli que exhibe una visión del anarquismo un tanto pueril, que de romántica se vuelve naif, y que no pasa la criba de un argumentario más profundo. Una pena también que la foto se vea ensombrecida por un montaje torpísimo y que la historia, interesante per se, pase por tantos clichés de género y se narre de manera tan bobalicona.

Review by Moresbi ★★★½

Seemed like a reasonably well produced movie about the life of Lucio Urtubia.

The movie probably won't satisfy those looking for action or fireworks. Instead, it might appeal to those who might relate with either the ideals or the era and how the titular fought for his causes.

Almost 100 years past, and pretty much is the same or worse lol Go figure!

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'Monkey Man' review: A brilliant action film that pulls no punches

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This is a revenge picture, and so the Kid, who sometimes goes by the alias ‘Bobby’, must get revenge, driven by his fiery blood-soaked memories, and the sound of his mother whispering Hanuman’s legend in his ear.

He wheedles his way into the kitchen of ‘Kings’, an upscale restaurant, and then, alongside the in-house drug dealer, Alphonso (Pitobash), upstairs into the VIP club, where corrupt cops and powerful politicians party with a harem of international escorts.

The Kid wants to get close to Chief Rana (Sikandar Kher), a cruel police officer, whose bloodied knuckles haunt his nightmares. But Rana is only part of the food chain of money and power in this city – there are far bigger predators to fight if he does manage to send murderous greetings from his dead mother.

This Kid’s got potential but he’s not quite finished yet, and Patel turns Monkey Man into his coming-of-age story, mapping the fight scenes alongside his growth as a warrior.

That’s part of what makes Patel’s direction of the film so fascinating – the action sequences at the end of the movie are so much slicker than the hectic, chaotic brawls in the first half, because the Kid is so much more skilled and confident. The style of the film evolves in tandem with our hero.

Working with cinematographer Sharone Meir (who most recently worked with the legendary John Woo on Silent Night), Patel favours long takes where the camera follows bodies in motion closely, looking up to catch a hit, and then down to see the result.

These long takes with concealed cuts get smoother as the film progresses, and the climactic showdown in the VIP bar is a gorgeously fluid set piece, soundtracked to the churning guitars of Indian folk metal band Bloodywood. Rhythm and musicality is a huge part of Patel’s action style, and he utilises it for effect both comedic and sublime, such as in a training montage featuring legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain.

Patel also frequently intersperses blink-and-you’ll-miss-them POV shots, further aligning us with the Kid’s experience, and adding to the dizzying hallucinatory effect of some of these fights. Every frame is wild and colorful, with lots of needle drops and a hectic, chaotic energy that is sometimes unwieldy. He dispenses with any restraint in Monkey Man , a film stuffed and saturated with colour, texture, music, spirituality and violence.

The screenplay, by Patel, Paul Angunawela and John Collee (story by Patel), is a bit formulaic and even hackneyed at times. The story is political but also politically muddled, imparting a vague warning about the hazards of worshipping false idols. It relies on sexual violence against woman as a good/evil cheat sheet while also using the very same sexual exploitation as a cheeky visual backdrop – a trope that can often be a trap.

Patel is far more successful at exploring sexuality in the genre via a group of transgender women who teach the Kid how to harness his pain into power, led by an incredibly compelling Vipin Sharma as the wise Alpha.

But formula also serves Patel, allowing him to experiment aesthetically and present himself in a new way to audiences. It’s also easy to forgive any messiness or missteps in the first half when he nails the third act with such style and vigor.

With Monkey Man , Patel manages to pull it off and then some, signaling himself as an actor and filmmaker who should and will be seen differently, effectively following a similar trajectory to one of the film’s producers, Jordan Peele, who made a similar statement with Get Out . Patel did it his way, forged his own path, and we’ll never look at him in the same light again – and that’s a good thing. – Tribune News Service

No monkey business, this one.

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'Monkey Man' review: Underestimate Dev Patel at your own peril after this action movie

In his directorial debut “Monkey Man,” Dev Patel gifts action-movie fans with a multilayered, hyperviolent narrative. Sure, he pulls off a deep dive into Indian mythology, yet he's pretty darn good at attacking goons with fireworks, platform shoes and all manner of sharp objects too.

More “Rocky” than “John Wick,” the gritty and gory revenge thriller (★★★ out of four; rated R; in theaters Friday) is a love letter to his two-fisted influences, from Bruce Lee movies to Asian cult flicks like “Oldboy” and “The Raid.” But the underdog story, produced by Jordan Peele, also shows a bunch of new sides to Patel, who knuckles up as a legit action star and a guy who can make a movie that’s totally cool, occasionally amusing and impressively thoughtful.

'Monkey Man': Dev Patel got physical for his new movie, and he has the broken bones to prove it

Patel also co-wrote the screenplay, a modern take on the mythos of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. Kid (Patel) competes in an underground Indian fight club, though his job is mainly to take a bloody beating while wearing a monkey mask and hope his colorful boss Tiger (Sharlto Copley) doesn’t stiff him on pay.

At the same time, our hero is also haunted by the murder of his mom and a traumatic childhood, which fuels Kid’s mission of vengeance to take down those responsible. He gets a chance to infiltrate a repressive political system by working in a high-end brothel and starts causing problems for power players including a narcissistic, no-good celebrity guru (Makarand Deshpande) and a corrupt police chief (Sikander Kher).

With the holiday of Diwali on the way, as well as an important election, they don’t need someone like Kid messing things up. He becomes a wanted man and ends up left for dead in the street, where he’s found by a tribe of trans women who like Kid have been marginalized. Their leader Alpha (Vipin Sharma) nurses him back to health yet also imparts a key lesson: Instead of enduring pain and suffering as his primary existence, Kid needs a purpose in life.

While the piecemeal rollout of Kid’s backstory and bits of the Hanuman tale muddy the plot at first, “Monkey Man” swings into a groove when the main character is at his lowest point. Kid gets himself (and the movie) into gear in a lively montage where he uses a bag of wheat for punching practice as Alpha offers up a nifty percussion accompaniment. (It’s the next best thing to Survivor songs psyching up Rocky Balboa back in the day.)

Thusly inspired and trained, Kid goes on a righteous rampage and literally fights his way to the top floor of the villainous big boss. Patel can craft a mean action sequence, whether between ring ropes as masked men duke it out for crowds, a speedy car chase involving a tuk-tuk named after Nicki Minaj, or Kid kicking, stabbing and brawling his way through hordes of bad guys. As the guy at the center of these battles, the Oscar-nominated Patel ("Lion") never seems or looks out of place, even borrowing Keanu Reeves’ fashionable panache when it comes to gnarly combat couture.

The fact that “Monkey Man” includes social-cultural context, as something meaty to chew on rather than a throwaway thematic thread, is the cherry on top of Patel’s bloody sundae. He’s managed to craft a rare action movie that makes you think and also will joyfully plunge a metal rod into a dude’s brain.

Monkey Man Review: Dev Patel’s Mind-Blowing Action Debut

By Jonathan Sim

Dev Patel is an absolute star. He has pulled off a feat that is almost unprecedented in modern Hollywood. He writes, directs, produces, and stars in Monkey Man , an action movie that seems like a living nightmare to make.

From broken cameras to losing locations to almost getting shut down a few weeks before principal photography, this film looked like an uphill battle for the ages. But having seen the movie and how absolutely awesome it is, Patel’s work is a testament to the magic of filmmaking. The picture overcomes its own adversity to create an entertaining, violent revenge movie that does not hold back in the least.

Original action movies are hard to come by these days. Hollywood has languished in the malaise of IP and remakes. Sometimes, it’s understandable when you consider that they spent $200 million on Argylle and made back less than half of that at the box office. That’s part of why movies like Road House and Land of Bad are either sent to streaming or buried in the rubble.

Monkey Man was produced on a budget of a mere $10 million, which is not a lot for an action movie. But similar to John Wick — another movie about a very well-dressed killer out for revenge — it started out without a large budget and is now suited up to be a box office success and a kick-ass franchise.

We get introduced to our main character, played by Patel. We never learn his real name in the whole film, but we know him as the titular Monkey Man. He loses fights in underground fight clubs, makes money, and is trying to get a job. One line of dialogue that defines how committed he is from the beginning is when he tells a possible employer, “Give me the job no one wants to do and I’ll do it.” It’s not clear what’s happening at first, but as the film unfolds, we get more peeks into the trauma this character has endured, who he is looking for, what they have done to him, and why he is going down the path he’s headed towards.

The setting and production design is part of what makes Monkey Man feel so lived-in and raw. It has a very distinct voice, primarily set in India with a story infused with Indian culture. Patel clearly wanted to bring his personal culture into the film, and it pays off very well as we get a look at this landscape that features corrupt police and terrorism.

The texture is brought to life by cinematographer Sharone Meir, and there are some effective uses of color and atmosphere. Patel draws inspiration from martial arts classics here. There are bits of Bruce Lee’s invincibility, Jackie Chan’s improvised weapons, and the gritty fights of The Raid.

Patel also does something that very few have done outside of Hong Kong, which is direct and star in an action movie. It becomes more impressive because you can see Patel doing the majority of his stunts. This is a different beast than the Wick films, for example. Patel has to be performing the fights in front of the camera, then helming the style behind it.

It’s fascinating because the style he brings is unique. He puts the camera pretty close to the action, but he also uses some wide-angle lenses. There are POV shots, there’s always clarity in the fights, and there’s a lot of handheld to create a frenetic, dynamic movement. The musical score that plays over the fights can sometimes overpower the sounds of the punches and crashes, but besides that, the action is a strong element to this film.

Monkey Man is all about buildup, slowly getting you closer and closer to the action. Once we have our first major action set piece, it is a beautiful example of escalation, as the stakes and spectacle get bigger and bigger. As far as the protagonist goes, there are moments that feel like a Jackie Chan character or Rama from The Raid. One particular scene sees our action hero trying to escape the bad guys, failing in hilarious fashion, and then reluctantly needing to fight them all. This humanizes the character a lot, along with all of the tender moments in the film where we flash back to his relationship with his mother.

Patel throws in the occasional surreal, unconventional imagery that marks a strong directorial debut. On top of the popcorn-muching action, fights, blood, and violence that you want from Monkey Man, he gives you some really gut-wrenching imagery and moments that will stick with you. There’s a tragedy that drives our protagonist forward and once you know why he’s doing what he does, you want all of those villains to die in painful ways.

However, one thing to note is that this movie is not much of a thriller. The story gets driven forward by character drama, not suspense. The movie is much more focused in what the villain did in the past rather than what they are currently doing in the story. In other words, the villain’s present actions don’t drive the story forward; the villain’s past actions drive the hero forward.

Whenever there’s downtime in Monkey Man, it’s fueled by drama and the way the character grows. For example, we see our main character in a fight club early on. Before the final act, he returns to the fight club for another fighting sequence. This scene feels very distant from that drama surrounding his past and the villain, almost bringing that main story to a screeching halt. But it is the scene where he truly becomes Monkey Man. That finale then gives you all the hard R action that you don’t get very often in theaters anymore. This is where Patel starts playing around with longer takes and giving us truly rewarding, bloody violence that action movie junkies can relish in.

The story goes that producer Jordan Peele (director of Get Out, Us, and Nope) saw the movie and saved it from a streaming release on Netflix, persuading Universal Pictures to acquire the film and give it a theatrical release. Having seen the movie, I understand why.

SCORE: 8/10

As ComingSoon’s  review policy  explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.

Jonathan Sim is a film critic and filmmaker born and raised in New York City. He has met/interviewed some of the leading figures in Hollywood, including Christopher Nolan, Zendaya, Liam Neeson, and Denis Villeneueve. He also works as a screenwriter, director, and producer on independent short films.

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Live-Action One-Punch Man Movie Recruits Rick & Morty Co-Creator

Dan harmon will work alongside heather anne campbell on the sony pictures project.

We’re in something of a live-action adaptation renaissance in Hollywood right now, what with the Barbie doll coming to life thanks to Margot Robbie, and Netflix turning a bunch of anime into real-life shows (to varying degrees of success ). The hit anime and manga One-Punch Man is getting a similar treatment by Sony Columbia Pictures, and we’ve just learned of a significant change behind the scenes. The script is getting rewritten by Dan Harmon, creator of Community and co-creator of Adult Swim sci-fi cartoon Rick & Morty , alongside former SNL writer, Heather Anne Campbell.

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According to a throwaway remark in The Hollywood Reporter , Harmon is collaborating once again with fellow Rick & Morty alumni Campbell as the new writing team behind the movie. Campbell served as the show’s executive producer from 2022 to 2023 for seasons six and seven. Among many other credits, she’s also written for The Eric Andre Show , Saturday Night Live , and penned a 2017 short titled “ Final Fantasy XV Road Trip IRL ,” which is about FFXV ’s hot boys…farting…in their car. All that’s to say Campbell and Harmon should be able to hit One Punch Man ’s ridiculous comedy.

Previously, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg, the duo writers behind Marvel’s Venom , were attached to pen One-Punch Man ’s script. While it’s unclear if producers Avi and Ari Arad remain producing the project, Justin Lin, the director behind many of the Fast & Furious films, is still slated to spearhead the One-Punch Man movie. Outside of these changes, nothing else is known about the live-action adaptation right now. Sony claims it is “bullish” on the film, according to a Deadline report in 2022, with hopes that it could start a franchise for the company.

Written in 2009, before becoming a hit anime in 2015, One-Punch Man follows Saitama, a superhero who is so damn strong that he kills everything with a single punch. The show is hilarious as hell, sprinkling in moments of introspection and satire among solid action by Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End animators Madhouse (for Season One) and Hi Score Girl producers J.C.Staff (for Season Two). A third season of One-Punch Man was announced in August 2022, with J.C.Staff returning to animate the upcoming batch of episodes.