Monkey Man Plot Summary
In Monkey Man, an anonymous man known as Kid (Dev Patel), who spends his time underground fighting to make money and covering up his identity by wearing a monkey mask, is trying to find and murder a corrupt police chief called Rana (Sikandar Kher) who raped and killed his mother many years earlier. Kid needs to infiltrate the exclusive nightclub where Rana and his crew spend their evenings, and works in the kitchen at first before making his way up through the ranks until he can get access to the VIP areas Rana frequents.
He finds a way to smuggle a weapon inside and launches his attack on Rana, but he underestimates the violent response to his initial attack, and receives serious injury, a manhunt, and a near-death experience before he builds himself up to launch another attack on Rana.
What happens at the hidden temple?
After the brutal fight with Rana, Kid escapes the club and goes on the run, but eventually passes out from his injuries. When Kid regains consciousness, he finds himself in an underground Hindu temple where societal outcasts live, worship, and support each other. Whilst resting and recuperating here, Kid experiences some enlightening toxins, which help him to understand that his mission shouldn’t just be limited to getting revenge on Rana.
His mother’s horrific murder was just one of the many tragic incidences in part of a larger system of corruption that consumes the entire region. The poor, the rebellious, and the social outcasts are continually pushed down by the rich and powerful. Kid discovers that the whole operation is actually run by a spiritual leader known as Baba Shakti, who despite claiming to be for the people, is actually just as corrupt as the others in the system.
During his time at the temple, Kid learns to fight in ways he couldn’t have achieved before. He learns the valuable lesson of a sense of community which he embraces at the heart of the temple by helping them with their financial troubles, and he learns to train in a totally new way to make himself a much better and stronger fighter.
How does Monkey Man end?
Kid attacks the club with his new particular set of skills and fights his way through the kitchen and the bar. With the support of the temple warriors who show up to support him, he makes his way up to the VIP areas of the building where Rana is hiding. A brutal battle ensues with Rana, and the Kid eventually defeats his opponent, even as injuries worsen.
In the club’s penthouse, the Kid tracks down the ultimate villain of the story: Baba Shakti. The Kid is not in the mood for negotiation, and they face off against each other. Baba Shakti reveals a hidden blade in one of his sandals, and stabs Kid between the ribs. However, Kid refuses to be beaten and pulls one of Shakti’s blades free, stabbing the leader of the corrupt machine to death. As the film ends, the authorities swarm outside, and Kid achieves his ultimate goal of avenging his mother’s murder and gains peace, but ultimately falls down to the ground.
The suggestion is that Kid has died after fulfilling his mission, as he appears to greet his mother in the afterlife, but this is totally open to interpretation.
Read More: Monkey Man Movie Review