Movie · 2024 · Action, Thriller · 2h 2m · R · English
Curator score: 6.5/10 (699.9K ratings)
One small ember can burn down everything.
Overview
Kid is an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.5/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.72/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 70
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Dev Patel
Production
Thunder Road, Bron Studios, Monkeypaw Productions, Minor Realm, Creative Wealth Media Finance, S'YA Concept
A ferocious revenge thriller with real physicality, political anger, and a strong sense of style. It stands out for its underground-fight-club grit, mythic underworld plotting, and the way it channels trauma into explosive action.
Best for
fans of brutal, propulsive revenge movies
viewers who like action with social and political edge
audiences drawn to stylish, sweaty, hand-to-hand combat
people looking for a debut that feels personal and urgent
Skip if
you want clean, polished, PG-13-style action
you dislike intense violence and bodily punishment
you prefer straightforward plots over feverish, symbolic storytelling
you are not in the mood for rage-driven revenge narratives
Overview
Monkey Man is a bruising revenge thriller that hits like a thrown brick. It starts in the dirt, with underground fights and anonymous suffering, then steadily widens into a story about corruption, class violence, and buried childhood trauma. The action is messy in the best way: close, frantic, and physically punishing, with a sense that every blow costs something.
Worth noting
What makes it memorable is the conviction behind it. The film has the energy of a director using genre as a personal weapon, turning rage into momentum and spectacle. It’s not just about revenge; it’s about identity, humiliation, and the fantasy of striking back at systems that seem untouchable.
Bottom line
The result is loud, sweaty, and often exhilarating. It may be too relentless for viewers who want their action sleek or emotionally detached, but for anyone who likes their thrillers with grime, purpose, and a pulse, this one lands hard.
Top Letterboxd reviews
cookie (5★) · 26164 likes
dev patel directing all those baddies to ooh+giggle when he takes his sweaty tank top off
zoë rose bryant (4★) · 19283 likes
i didn’t think it was physically possible for dev patel to be any hotter than he already is until i watched him lead an army of trans women in a fight against a fascist police force
Melly (4★) · 18396 likes
Dev Patel said "ACAB", he said "TRANS RIGHTS", he said "CRACK THE SKULLS OF CORRUPT LEADERS"
I said "that's hot"
robyn (4.5★) · 11656 likes
Furious George
jonathan fujii (4★) · 7099 likes
Fuck a James Bond, give me five more of these Dev Patel
2010 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 59m · R · Curator 8.1/10 (58.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, MUBI, Rakuten Viki, Hi-YAH, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A sleek but ferocious rescue-and-revenge thriller that balances emotional stakes with hard-hitting action.
2022 · Action, Thriller, Adventure · 2h 48m · PG-13 · Curator 4.7/10 (197.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Bigger, louder, and more operatic, it delivers the same kind of crowd-pleasing vengeance and power fantasy.