Plot Summary – A young man ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he’s beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, he discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. 

★★★★★ 

Watched 07 Apr 2024

I was so excited about this film since the second I discovered it was going to be released. Dev Patel has been someone who’s been a trailblazer for Indian representation in film, and to see him helm something this well-made, with this much thought, care, and nuance, is nothing short of incredible. Maybe to someone with no knowledge of India or its culture or its politics, this is just a well-made action film. This film is so rich with symbolism and nuance. From Shakti’s helicopter resembling the Pushpaka Vimana to the ending of the film, every single scene in this film has its roots in Hindu mythology. The beauty though, is that its not a Hindu film. It’s explicitly secular in its ideology and openly critiques the dogmatic and radical nature of the politics in India. It does so by showing several depths of corruption and some truly horrific scenes.

It always zags when you least expect it to. The action is game-changing. This is not Indian John Wick. This is its own, new type of action. Some of the best hand-to-hand combat I have seen and some of the most awesome movie kills I’ve watched. Dev watched Oldboy and The Raid (which he cites as his inspirations), combined them with mass South Indian cinema, and then put Jordan Peele’s visuals to it to create a completely new and unique form of action filmmaking that I have never seen before. This insane action style paired with a very well-thought-out and imagined world combines to create one of the best theater experiences of the year. This film is already one of my all-time favorites and I am so excited to watch it again. I highly highly recommend this film and I hope that more people shower this film with the appreciation it deserves because I know that I have season tickets to whatever Dev does next. I will be there no matter what.