Monkey Man: Vigilantism In All Its Ugliness

Monkey Man is an odd movie.

It adds to a long list of movies that fall under the genre of 'vigilante fights against classist structures, political corruption, and corporate greed'. Think of movies like John Wick and The Equalizer for Hollywood or Singham and Simmba for Bollywood. Movies with a nigh-invincible protagonist who breaks all rules and laws in order to fight against injustice. Usually through extreme, unadulterated violence.

Action in most vigilante films is often portrayed through bullets, explosions, and flying stuntmen. In Monkey Man, however, the violence is up close and personal. Fist fights, improvised weapons, bloodied knuckles, chopped-off fingers, gore, and viscera. Scenes are always jumping from the slums to brothels, from drug dens to underground fight clubs. The movie isn't afraid to show the ugly side of romantic concepts like violence and vengeance. The rose-tinted lenses quickly fade away as we watch the unnamed protagonist of the movie limp away from most conflicts after having been beaten within an inch of his life.

The godlike strength and charisma of the vigilante are replaced with craftiness and determination in Monkey Man. Ironic, as the protagonist uses the avatar of a literal god, Hanuman, in order to act out his vengeance. The use of that avatar did not come without unfortunate consequences.

For a Hollywood movie that is supposed to be set in India, it has had a lot of trouble reaching Indian audiences. Of course, explicit sex scenes and gore would play a role in that, but religious iconography being portrayed alongside those scenes does not help with the problem. Monkey Man was set to release on the 19th of April, but at the time of writing this (3rd of May), the movie still hasn't received its CBFC certificate. Universal Pictures, which currently owns the rights to the film, has said it will reach Indian theaters soon, but that could really mean anything. They seem to be facing a similar issue that the previous owners, Netflix, also faced. If the movie is to reach Indian audiences, how much of the movie would have to be censored?

It's a shame, as while the religious iconography is problematic, the themes of the film don't explore religious discrimination. They revolve primarily around class warfare. A village boy seeks vengeance against corrupt policemen and politicians. A tale as old as time.

Class discrimination and underdog stories are popular western themes. They would help western audiences relate to a story that may otherwise feel very alien.

Still, due to a focus on those issues, a lot of the nuances of struggle faced by people living in rural areas or the underbelly of urban India seem to be missing. Perhaps that is a good thing, though. Any more controversy, and this movie may have never even had a chance of entering Indian cinema. At least for now, while it doesn't have the proper certification, it's not outright banned either. A sort of limbo state where it could go either way.

Dev Patel has brought more exposure to the Indian subcontinent. The movie itself is great, too. Worth watching for the action alone. Still, it remains to be seen in what state it will appear in Indian cinema. Will it come out confident, ready to show its brutality and ugliness with vigor? Or will it come out just as bloody and cut up as the protagonist himself after a fight scene? Only time will tell.