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Dev Patel's latest film, Monkey Man, premiered at SXSW in Austin on March 11 and received a standing ovation as the actor took to the stage amidst the credits roll. For his feature directorial debut, Patel is being lauded on social media as the film has been deemed "the best action movie" by fans.
As per an attendee at SXSW, the film received a 2-minute standing ovation in Austin's packed Paramount Theatre, which has a capacity of over 1200 people.
A fan shared his review of the film on X:
"Just saw Monkey Man. probably the best action movie i have ever seen. Dev Patel and everyone who worked on it did a phenomenal job in the face of never ending adversity!"
Dev Patel's Monkey Man wins over audiences at SXSW
Actor Dev Patel's first directorial venture, Monkey Man, was supposed to be released by Netflix. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Get Out director Jordan Peele joined forces with Universal Studios to give the film a theatrical release, after he watched the movie and was impressed with Patel's vision.
Peele's Monkeypaw Productions then partnered with Universal to market and distribute the film, which has been labeled as an action-thriller akin to John Wick movies.
In a video clip posted by Variety, Patel can be seen introducing Monkey Man at the SXSW world premiere. He revealed:
"I wanted to give it soul. I wanted to give it real trauma, real pain... and I wanted to infuse it with a little bit of culture. This a story about an underdog being helped by a whole load of other underdogs to realize their true power together collectively."
After the film was screened, it received a standing ovation. Furthermore, social media was flooded with praise for the story, action sequences, and Dev Patel's performance. In video clips uploaded on X, Patel can be seen becoming emotionally overwhelmed by the positive reaction from viewers.
Inspired by the legend of Hindu deity Hanuman, Monkey Man's plot is described by IMDb as follows:
"An anonymous young man unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless."
Filmed and set mostly in India with a predominantly Indian cast, Monkey Man is scheduled to release on April 5, 2024 in the United States.
