Movies
Kill of the Week: Man Bites Monkey in ‘Monkey Shines’
Every week, we spotlight a kill that we just can’t get enough of. This is Kill of the Week.
We entered this week with the incredibly devastating news that George A. Romero, independent film pioneer, master of horror and creator of the modern day zombie, had passed away at the age of 77. In the wake of the news, most horror fans have spent the week celebrating the life and legacy of Romero, revisiting the immortal body of work he leaves behind.
Of course, Romero is most known for his zombie movies, but he also directed a handful of other notable films throughout his career. Romero’s first studio film was Monkey Shines, released after his original zombie trilogy was completed, in 1988.
Infamously, Romero’s experience on the film was bad enough to send him running back to the indie scene, but his adaptation of Michael Stewart’s novel nevertheless turned out to be a late ’80s gem. After all, Romero in his prime was a force to be reckoned with – even with lots of studio interference.
Monkey Shines tells the story of Allan Mann (Jason Beghe), an athlete who is left quadriplegic after an accident at the start of the film. In an effort to make life easier on him, Mann takes in an experimental monkey named Ella, who at first appears to be a godsend. Of course, however, Ella soon goes on a warpath, leaving several bodies in her wake.
From what I gather, it was the studio that forced Romero to end the film on a happy note, with Mann surviving and Ella being killed off. But even if Romero wasn’t sold on the idea himself, I’ve gotta say: the ending to Monkey Shines is absolutely perfect, giving Mann a badass hero moment after being tormented throughout the film.
“I’m gonna take you apart. I’m gonna rip your fuckin’ eyes out. I’m gonna tear you open and chew out your fuckin’ heart,” Mann promises Ella a bit earlier in the film; and he makes pretty damn good on that promise when he later lures Ella onto his lap and, well, takes a bite out of her. He thrashes Ella around wildly in his mouth, ending her reign of terror the only way his body allows.
Somehow, despite Ella being a murderous little shit, you feel bad for her in those final moments. A testament to Romero’s ability to humanize even the most inhuman of monsters – one of the very things that made his zombie movies so essential.
After pulling in $28 million at the worldwide box office this month, director (and star) Dev Patel’s critically acclaimed action-thriller Monkey Man is now available to watch at home.
You can rent Monkey Man for $19.99 or digitally purchase the film for $24.99!
Monkey Man is currently 88% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with Bloody Disgusting’s head critic Meagan Navarro awarding the film 4.5/5 stars in her review out of SXSW back in March.
Meagan raves, “While the violence onscreen is palpable and painful, it’s not just the exquisite fight choreography and thrilling action set pieces that set Monkey Man apart but also its political consciousness, unique narrative structure, and myth-making scale.”
“While Monkey Man pays tribute to all of the action genre’s greats, from the Indonesian action classics to Korean revenge cinema and even a John Wick joke or two, Dev Patel’s cultural spin and unique narrative structure leave behind all influences in the dust for new terrain,” Meagan’s review continues.
She adds, “Monkey Man presents Dev Patel as a new action hero, a tenacious underdog with a penetrating stare who bites, bludgeons, and stabs his way through bodies to gloriously bloody excess. More excitingly, the film introduces Patel as a strong visionary right out of the gate.”
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Monkey Man is produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions.
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