Hats off to Dev Patel. That the adorkable kid from Slumdog Millionaire has grown into the commanding leading man he is today is the cinematic equivalent of the kid who has sand kicked in his face hitting the gym to sculpt himself into a powerhouse.
Or, if we work Monkey Man into the metaphor – and we must, given his new film sees him not only star but also direct, produce, and co-write – it’s like that sand-spluttering kid hitting the gym, training in martial arts, and becoming a weapons expert in order to morph into a one-man army.
