"All hail Dev Patel," said Kevin Maher in The Times. The 33-year-old Slumdog Millionaire star has made his directorial debut "with an audacious action flick" set in contemporary India. In the fictional city of Yatana, "mobsters rule" and "venal politicians thrive", but there is hope to be found in the "murderously effective hands" of a mysterious bare-knuckle boxer, known as Kid, who fights wearing a monkey mask. Kid, played by Patel, is nursing a "primal hatred for the corrupt city cop" who murdered his mother.
Luckily for him, he gets a chance for revenge during a deeply "satisfying" hotel bathroom brawl, which segues into "an epic street chase, followed by a brutal brothel fight, followed by a near-death rooftop shooting" – all unfolding "at a hyperkinetic pace". If a film can be described as "close to narrative cardiac arrest", this is it.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why is the world so divided over plastics?Today's Big Question UN negotiations on first global plastic treaty are at stake, as fossil fuel companies, petrostates and plastic industry work to resist a legal cap on production
-
Temple Mount: the politics of Judaism's holiest siteThe Explainer Latest provocation at religious site with a history of 'perpetual friction' risks violence erupting again
-
Ssh! Secret gardens to visit this summerThe Week Recommends These leafy havens are the perfect place to escape the crowds
-
The easy elegance of Cap FerretThe Week Recommends 'Elemental and otherworldly' destination is loved for its natural beauty
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dadIn the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Spring greens and chickpea curry recipeThe Week Recommends This mouthwatering curry is quick to throw together
-
Gazer: 'paranoid noir chiller' is a gripping watchThe Week Recommends Ryan J. Sloan's debut film is haunted with 'skin-crawling unease'
-
William Kentridge: The Pull of Gravity – a 'bold' exhibitionThe Week Recommends The South African artist brings his distinctive works to Yorkshire Sculpture Park
-
Sarah Dunant shares her favourite booksThe Week Recommends The British novelist picks works by Sergeanne Golon, Jill Burke and Natalie Zemon
-
Inter Alia: Rosamund Pike is 'electric' in gut-wrenching legal dramaThe Week Recommends Australian playwright Suzie Miller is back with a follow up to her critically-acclaimed hit play Prima Facie
-
Unforgivable: harrowing drama about abuse and rehabilitationThe Week Recommends 'Catastrophic impact' of abuse is explored in 'thought-provoking' series
