Before he became a professional actor,Dev Patelwas a competitive martial artist.
It was a defining moment in his youth.
It is truethe martial arts genre, or action films in general, can be elastic.
Even simple tales of revenge and primal justice offer a myriad of motivations, either fanciful or grounded.
To Patel what matters is the trauma behind the action.
Fight Easy, Patel says with a dawning, faintly exhausted smile.
Thats true, man.
Its all in the prep… And then a few days in it, it was like28 Days Laterin Mumbai.
There was no traffic on the roads.
The fog had cleared.
And I literally got out on the last seat of the last flight out.
The film had died at that point.
(He had never stepped foot in Indonesia in his life.)
The result is a movie that is not quite what he initially had in mind.
It had an entirely different beginning, says Patel.
It took a big chunk out of our budget to quarantine every actor for two weeks.
It ultimately informed whyMonkey Manis interspersed with flashbacks throughout its running time, which illuminate the protagonists trauma.
Later on she shows back up with a platinum credit card.
Says Patel, The whole concept is hes like this caged animal, cornered.
And real violence is messy, its primal.
So I just wanted to get that kind of sweaty, gritty, with your hands [feel].
He pauses to allow a mirthless chuckle.
So if youre in a compromising position, you gotta use your teeth.
Monkey Man takes a bite out of cinemas on Friday, April 5.
