Movie review
April 3, 2024 · 122 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Monkey Man.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent positive portrayal of hijra/transgender characters as key allies and combatants, including a temple sanctuary and slow-motion fight scenes; some roles filled by trans performers and highlighted by the director as inclusion of the marginalized.
Woke political dialogue
Occasional critique of religious fraud and elite corruption through the guru villain’s rhetoric, but no extended modern activist monologues or lectures; messaging stays embedded in personal revenge.
Identity-driven story themes
Revenge plot incorporates caste discrimination, poverty, and hijra persecution under a nationalist religious movement, framing underdogs and identity-based outcasts against systemic power.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Targets Indian religious nationalism, political corruption, and elite abuse in a contemporary South Asian setting; avoids framing Western institutions, traditional gender roles, or core Western cultural norms as flawed.
Review
Monkey Man is a 2024 action thriller directed by and starring Dev Patel as Kid, a traumatized young fighter who wears a monkey mask in underground bouts before launching a violent revenge campaign against the corrupt police chief and charismatic religious guru who massacred his village and killed his mother. The story draws on Hanuman mythology and unfolds in a neon-lit fictional Indian city filled with elite excess, poverty, and underground alliances. Audience-visible elements include a hijra temple serving as sanctuary for transgender characters who become active allies and fighters, plus repeated themes of caste discrimination, poverty, and religious nationalism used to exploit the poor.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Right-leaning Indian criticism and official delays over Hindu nationalist portrayal and religious themes; minimal documented Western complaints specifically calling out DEI or identity politics.
Creator track record context
Dev Patel has made recent public statements on marginalized voices and hijra inclusion; producer Jordan Peele has a clearer pattern of social-identity exploration, while co-writers and most other producers show only mild or no such focus.
Production
