Monkey Man was one of the best action movies of 2024, telling the story of Kid (Dev Patel), a man who is desperate to seek vengeance against those who killed his mother. Directed by Patel in his directorial debut, Monkey Man follows Kid as he makes a living in an underground fight club where he fights with a gorilla mask. From here, Kid is able to infiltrate the upper echelons of society, exacting revenge against those who took everything from him.
Monkey Man is an incredible action movie and perfectly balances powerful character-driven narratives surrounding vengeance with stunning fight choreography. Movies like Monkey Man have explored the human desire for revenge for decades, providing audiences with some of the most incredible fight scenes in cinematic history as they do so. While there are countless great action movies, when it comes to action tales about revenge, some stand out.
10 The Raid (2011)
Raw, Fast-Paced, And Brutal
The Raid is a movie that tells the story of Rama (Iko Uwais), a police officer who joins a 20-man squad for a raid on an apartment block that is suspected to house Tama Riyadi (Ray Sahetapy), a notorious crime lord in Jakarta. The grim setting of The Raid is not its only similarity with Monkey Man, as the movie also tackles heavy themes of corruption within the police force and explores Rama’s personal issues as well. As a rookie member of the police, Rama faces overwhelming odds as the mission progresses and is thrust headfirst into the action.
A particularly memorable scene comes when Rama has to face off in a hallway against a group of henchmen. The hand-to-hand combat choreography on display here is nothing short of breathtaking, with the quick cuts and editing adding to the atmosphere of overwhelming chaos as well. Ultimately, The Raid is a must-watch for any fans of Monkey Man, as Rama’s emotional journey of violence and action seems to mirror that of Kid.
9 Atomic Blonde (2017)
A Contemporary Spy Classic
Atomic Blonde, directed by David Leitch, is another movie that combines the themes of vengeance and suppressed trauma found in Monkey Man. Starring Charlize Theron as MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, Atomic Blonde is an action-packed tale of historical espionage set against the backdrop of Berlin in 1989. Lorraine, who is tasked with recovering a list of every double agent in Berlin, is driven by personal motivations, similar to Kid in Monkey Man, and both of their stories are thrilling to watch unfold.
The “stairwell fight” scene has become one of Atomic Blonde‘s most iconic and echoes the incredible choreography on display in Monkey Man. This scene sees Lorraine going toe-to-toe with numerous henchmen, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat with them. The claustrophobic setting, coupled with the intense physicality of the choreography, makes this scene one of the most memorable in recent action movie history and mirrors Monkey Man‘s visceral approach to fight sequences.
8 The Night Comes For Us (2018)
A Bloody Path To Redemption
Timo Tjahjanto’s 2018 movie, The Night Comes for Us, shares a lot of thematic DNA with Monkey Man in its exploration of retribution and redemption through violence. The movie stars Joe Taslim as Ito, a member of the Six Seas Triad, an organized crime syndicate in Southeast Asia. It follows Ito as he begins to feel remorseful for his previous actions and fights his way to protect a young survivor from a village massacred by the Triad.
While The Night Comes for Us has been criticized for its often excessive use of violence, the themes of retribution and trauma are richly explored. It is a movie full to the brim of bone-crunching action and impressive fight choreography, particularly in the final confrontation between Ito and his former ally, Arian (Iko Uwais). The mixture of professional martial arts and street fighting style is blended to perfection and makes The Night Comes for Us one of the more unique action movies about the redemption of modern times.
7 X-Men: First Class (2011)
Erik’s Tale Of Vengeance Is Akin To Kid’s
At a glance, it may be difficult to see the similarities between X-Men: First Class and Monkey Man, in part due to the lack of a gritty, grounded plot. However, First Class does share a surprising number of themes with Monkey Man, particularly regarding the character of Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender). First Class opens with the harrowing scene of Erik at Auschwitz Concentration Camp, being forced to move a Nazi coin with his mind by the evil Dr Klaus Schmidt (Kevin Bacon). When he does not move the coin, Schmidt kills Erik’s mother.
In a scene that is as satisfying as it is brutal, Erik finally “moves the coin” that he has carried with him since childhood, using his powers to push it through Shaw’s brain, killing him.
Erik’s tale of vengeance forms a key part of his character, and his latter descent into villainy, making him one of the most compelling characters ever produced by Marvel Comics. His childhood trauma, like Kid’s in Monkey Man, drives Erik forward until the final confrontation with Schmidt (now called Sebastian Shaw) in 1962. In a scene that is as satisfying as it is brutal, Erik finally “moves the coin” that he has carried with him since childhood, using his powers to push it through Shaw’s brain, killing him. The sheer brutality of this scene is closely aligned with the scenes of visceral violence portrayed throughout Monkey Man.
6 Gladiator (2000)
An Epic Tale Of Historical Vengeance
Gladiator is one of the most iconic movies of all time, with Ridley Scott’s tale of vengeance setting a true benchmark for other movies to aspire to. The journey of Gladiator‘s Maximus (Russell Crowe) closely follows that of Monkey Man‘s Kid, as he seeks revenge against the corrupt Roman emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) who ordered the murder of his wife and child. Like Kid, Maximus must claw his way back from nothing to claim justice, with his journey being fueled by the murder of his loved ones.
Gladiator is full of memorable fight scenes, but arguably the movie’s most iconic is when Maximus faces off against the Tigris of Gaul. After besting his opponent, he refuses to kill him in a moment of pure sportsmanship and valor. While Gladiator‘s choreography is more focused on the use of weapons such as swords and shields, the grittiness of this one-on-one combat is what makes Maximus’ tale of retribution so similar to Kid’s in Monkey Man.
5 Inglourious Basterds (2009)
A Violent, Revisionist Take On World War II
Quentin Tarantino is a director whose movies are characterized by their visceral depictions of violence, and that alone makes Inglourious Basterds a worthy comparison to Monkey Man. However, Inglourious Basterds is, at its core, a tale of revenge being told from multiple perspectives. First and foremost, there is Shoshanna (Mélanie Laurent), a Jewish French woman whose family was murdered on the orders of Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shoshanna therefore takes it upon herself to trap most of the Nazi high command in her Parisian cinema and set the place alight.
There is then also the tale of the Basterds themselves, a group of Jewish American soldiers who engage in guerrilla warfare against the Nazi War Machine. Both the Basterds’ and Shoshanna’s vendetta come face-to-face in the movie’s final act, which depicts the brutal killing of hundreds of Nazis including Hitler himself, in the cinema. The over-the-top violence, coupled with a compelling tale of retribution is very similar to Kid’s traumatic story in Monkey Man, making Inglourious Basterds a perfect parallel here.
4 John Wick (2014)
An Icon Of “Revenge Cinema”
Perhaps one of the best-known tales of modern retribution in cinema comes in the form of John Wick. The 2014 movie follows the titular character (Keanu Reeves), who embarks on an elaborate mission of revenge after thugs break into his house and kill his dog. The comparisons to be made here with Monkey Man are fairly simple – the protagonist is driven by his trauma to exact revenge on those who wronged him. Wick’s personal loss, like Kid’s in Monkey Man, is what fuels his actions, along with a well of deeply suppressed trauma from the death of his wife.
There are countless incredibly choreographed fight scenes in John Wick, but the most memorable has to be the nightclub scene. Wick is closing in on his targets, systemically taking out henchmen in a nightclub through his unique brand of “gun-fu”. While John Wick focuses more on firearms action than Monkey Man, the hand-to-hand combat scenes make it a more than worthy comparison to be made here.
3 Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Tarantino’s Classic Tale Of Revenge
Quentin Tarantino’s signature over-the-top violence and tales of retribution and vengeance manifest themselves fully in the Kill Bill franchise. These movies tell the story of The Bride (Uma Thurman) whose wedding rehearsal was massacred by a group of highly-trained assassins. Left for dead, The Bride embarks upon one of the most iconic revenge missions in cinematic history. Her deep emotional trauma, the barriers she faces to overcome it, and the incredible fight scenes, all make Kill Bill highly comparable to Monkey Man.
The climactic clash between The Bride and the Crazy 88 gang in the House of Blue Leaves has since become a staple of cinematic fight scenes. The chaos of the scene, coupled with Thurman’s excellent choreography, has made it one of the most memorable of Tarantino’s filmography. While the movie is less gritty than Monkey Man, it nevertheless has its fair share of thematic parallels while also providing audiences with non-stop action.
2 Hot Fuzz (2007)
A Comedic Character-Driven Story Of Violence
While primarily a comedy, and far more slapstick than Monkey Man ever is, Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz is nevertheless a compelling tale of character-driven violence and emotion. The story follows big-city police officer Nicholas (Simon Pegg) as he is transferred to a remote village in the English countryside. After a series of conspicuous accidents, Nicholas begins to unravel the mystery of the village, slowly revealing to the audience that things are not as they seem.
While the tone of
Hot Fuzz
is vastly different to
Monkey Man
, it is hard to deny the parallels between Nicholas and Kid, and the journeys they take towards using violence as a means of securing justice for themselves and others.
Like Kid in Monkey Man, Nicholas has deeply buried trauma in his past that comes to a boiling point during Hot Fuzz‘s climax. His journey from rigid by-the-book cop to a dual-pistol-wielding sharpshooter is as funny to watch as it is dramatic. While the tone of Hot Fuzz is vastly different to Monkey Man, it is hard to deny the parallels between Nicholas and Kid, and the journeys they take towards using violence as a means of securing justice for themselves and others. The action is also top-notch, especially when paired with Wright’s exceptional direction.
1 Oldboy (2003)
A Twisted Story Of Brutal Retribution
Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy is often regarded as one of the greatest revenge thrillers of all time. The movie follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a man who is imprisoned in a cell resembling a hotel room for 15 years. When he is finally released, he seeks vengeance on those who imprisoned him, and answers as to why they did it. The intricate web of lies and conspiracies that Dae-su must navigate is akin to Kid’s turbulent journey of justice in Monkey Man, and Chan-wook’s exploration of psychological trauma is expertly executed here as well.
Regarding the action, Oldboy‘s hallway fight scene has quickly become one of the most legendary action sequences in modern cinema. Filmed in one continuous shot, the scene sees Dae-su take on numerous henchmen, seemingly with ease. His determination is as inspiring to watch as the brutality of the choreography. The visceral nature of Oldboy‘s violence, coupled with its ability to explore the true depths of human suffering are parallel to the themes explored in Monkey Man, making it a natural comparison. It’s a truly superb revenge thriller, and that’s not even mentioning the shocking twist at the end.
