Dev Patel goes bananas on his enemies in high stakes thriller.

Dev Patel has transitioned himself quite well as one of our finest young actors. From “Slumdog Millionaire” to “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” to “Lion” to “The Personal History of David Copperfield” to “The Green Knight” to “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” he knows how to play characters with both his British and Indian background.

His latest film “Monkey Man” is also his directorial debut, one that follows in the tradition of “John Wick,” spiced with Indian culture and a Tarantino ambiance. It’s R-rated, so it has to be violent and crazy, but it can also be wickedly funny and emotionally complex. In fact, I was thinking of Keanu Reeves collaborating with Patel, if only John Wick was still alive, and as long as it doesn’t flop so hard like how Stallone and Statham have with “Expend4bles.” “Monkey Man” is an original hardcore action movie.

Patel plays a young fighter named Kid, whose Indian city is under complete control, and whose mother gets murdered by the enforcer Rana (Sikandar Kher). He’s been vowing revenge on him ever since.

He’s always been influenced by the ancient monkey spirit known as Hanuman, which is a deity symbolizing strength and resilience, and one of the reasons why he wears a monkey mask in the underground ring hosted by the sleazy promoter Tiger (Sharlto Copley). He also talks his way into working for the sex club owner Queenie (Ashwini Kaleekar) as a dishwasher and then, a waiter in the VIP rooms. And he also guys a gun in the black market and trains himself to shoot at the target.

Eventually, he comes across Rana and tries to assassinate him, only for himself to become a wanted fugitive, especially when he kills a few of his arresting officers. But he’s protected in a hidden society dedicated to vowing revenge on the broken system. And his training helps him defend the poor and get revenge on the leaders.

“Monkey Man” was also produced by Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, who both know how to produce fresh entertainment. But it’s mostly Patel who is the main attraction of the film. He directs and plays the main character with a lot of risks and vulnerabilities. He also guides likable and unlikable supporting characters like the villains, his short sidekick Alphonso, who has a hilarious getaway vehicle, the wise rebel leader Alpha (Vipin Sharma), who offers him words of wisdom, and a mysterious woman named Sita (Sobhita Dhulipala), who is held against her will by the bad guys.

The story is challenging, and certain fight scenes can be a bit much for the mind to process, but it’s all part of the fun and execution. Patel also has some writing assistance from Paul Angunawela and John Collee (who previously worked with Patel on “Hotel Mumbai”). The movie is 2 hours long, which is enough for us to get to know this fighter, where he comes from, and why he must set himself on the path of revenge and defense.

So, while I didn’t go for last week’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” I totally went for “Monkey Man.” Yes, it’s crazy, but there’s a lot of baggage in all this craziness. And plus, it has style and attitude. Sorry, Rebecca Hall and Dan Stevens, but going with Dev Patel on this one.