Civil War and Monkey Man
Civil War
Director: Alex Garland
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny
Genre: Then or now?
Monkey Man
Director: Dev Patel
Starring: Dev Patel
Genre: Dev Patel
Lights, cameras, action. Okay, so photography is a significant focus of Civil War and isn’t a thing with Monkey Man but both films are sensually extreme, featuring lots of spectacular visual moments, heaps of action and awesome intense sound. So, if adrenaline rush is your thing, both films are for you.
There are admittedly some inherent differences between the films.
Civil War is a big picture USA political and societal observation piece while Monkey Man is culturally Indian even if that’s mostly just the inspiration.
The nature of the action also differs. Civil War features lots of explosions and shooting between the American sides battling out the war, while Monkey Man is man-on-man physical fighting. The delivery is deliberately of the John Wick variety but a much more innovative and better version.
Also, the almost superhero nature of Dev Patel’s character means he somehow survives and wins all his fights, while Civil War has a lot more scope and is based on reality – civil wars are a thing and lots of people die, including (spoiler alert) government leaders.
Everything about both films is great. Dev Patel is a Taekwando top level black belt, a great actor and director, and I assume choreographer too. The acting in Civil War is captivating and the direction is profound.
Ultimately, don’t decide which one to see. See both.
Ratings: Civil War – Five worries; Monkey Man – Four jabs
