Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX
Dev Patel has accomplished the pristine blending of east and west films aka Bollywood and Hollywood, remarkable on a myriad of levels. The Bollywood genre has fast-tracked in mimicry, imitation of Hollywood’s 6 pack ab heroes, following the trope of: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise vs. Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan. Patel with keen ingenuity follows the Matrix Maven (Keanu Reeves) “John Wick” with a fine-tuned flourish. Revenge levitates at the core of most action films and “Kid” (Patel) serves it to delicious, devilish perfection; he offers his beleaguered self nightly, as a foil for fighters in an offbeat arena, wearing a monkey mask, paid to be beaten to a pasty pulp; shrewdly the “monkey” references “Hanuman” a Hindu god who is half-monkey, half-human. He is revered and hovers at the heart of the “Ramayana”, an elite follower and protector of Prince Rama and his wife Sita. Kid, like Hanuman, is transformative; he is a compilation of initiative, strength, martial arts and meditation; Kid weaves the injustices of his youth, with his present mission with awe-inspiring success. Again, Ramayana’s epic story steeps the movie with corporeal evil cloaked in the form of “Rana” (Sikandar Kher), (the demon king Ravana), blessedly horrendous.
Since “Slumdog Millionaire” 2008, Dev Patel, with his adventurous, chicanery spirit has championed his every role: “Lion”, “The Personal History of David Copperfield”, my most favored “The Man Who Knew Infinity”, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”. “Hotel Mumbai”, the list goes on interminably. Now as director, star, and one of the producers he is a man sailing above the fray, swimming with the significant, anchored with the gifted.
FOUR STARS!!!!
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