New action movie produced by horror legend Jordan Peele is being compared to John Wick and The Raid in glowing first reactions

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Critics are going bananas for Dev Patel's directorial debut Monkey Man

Monkey Man
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Monkey Man, a new action movie produced by horror legend Jordan Peele, is getting rave reviews ahead of its April release date – with critics comparing it to the likes of The Raid and the John Wick franchise.

Directed by Dev Patel, who also co-wrote the screenplay and stars in the lead role, the film centers on Kid (Patel), a downtrodden young man who makes ends meet by competing in an underground fight club night after night. During each one of his fights, he wears a gorilla mask, which may hide his identity but doesn't stop him from getting beaten black and blue every evening. 

His life takes a turn, though, when he decides to get revenge on the corrupt leaders responsible for his mother's death, who have been taking advantage of the poor and powerless people of India.

Sobhita Dhulipala, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, and Sharlto Copley also feature in the flick, which, if the trailer is anything to go by, is set to be quite the bloodsoaked bonanza. 

"Dev Patel receives a standing ovation for being the writer, director, producer and star of MONKEY MAN, a visually spectacular revenge action movie that draws from Bruce Lee, Korean cinema, The Raid & John Wick," one critic wrote out of SXSW. "The crowd went ape for it."

"Monkey Man: Dev Patel's got rocket fuel in his veins as an action director and an action star. One of the most assured, kinetic debuts I've seen: gorgeous, crunchy, and relentless. What a blast," said another, while a third tweeted: "Monkey Man is an incredible debut film from Dev Patel. Loaded with bone breaking violence that splatters blood everywhere. The #sxsw audience went crazy many times during the world premiere. Can't believe this is his first film. Def worth seeing in a movie theater."

Keep scrolling to have a read of some more glowing reactions below...

Monkey Man releases on April 5. For more, check out our picks of the best action movies or our breakdown on all the exciting upcoming movies heading our way.

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Amy West
Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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