Acadamy Award-nominated actor, Dev Patel, went through some releasing hurdles for his directorial debut, Monkey Man. After finally partnering with Nope director and producer, Jordan Peele, Universal Pictures acquired the action thriller from Netflix and released the film in theaters this past weekend. Though not without its problems, this vengeance story is worthy of the big screen.

A familiar tale of revenge, Monkey Man sees Patel as “Kid,” an underground fighter whose bit is to take punches from the crowd’s favorite fighter of the week while sporting a monkey mask. His true intention is to get close enough to Rana (Sikandar Kher), the corrupt chief of police, in order to kill the man responsible for his mother Neela’s (Adithi Kalkunte) brutal death. Through flashbacks and dreamlike sequences, we slowly learn of his haunting past in Patel’s ambitious storytelling.

Monkey Man has a lot to say but doesn’t get around to it in detail.

For its 121-minute runtime, Patel and screenwriting partners Paul Angunawela and John Collee tell a multilayered story about vengeance mixed with political corruption, class dynamics, and a side story of hijra outcasts. Often biting off more than it can chew, the focus of the film continuously expands, resulting in a film that isn’t all-the-way coherent. Yet, through Patel’s admirable acting and promising directing, it’s still a good time.

Monkey Man could have benefited from a refined story to balance everything happening in parallel. The slow start mixed with the plethora of flashbacks tested my patience in more ways than one. There could have been a better strategy to reveal Kid’s backstory. It was made abundantly clear that he had faced trauma, but the execution felt a bit redundant. Luckily, the bloody action sequences paired with the vibrant selection of music did just enough to reel me back in to the film.

Patel finds confidence in his directing by the 3rd act.

Patel, at first, struggled with his visual storytelling. At times, the camera movement was a bit chaotic and dizzying, likely to model his character’s uncertainty in his fighting. But as the story progressed, Patel’s direction became more confident and intentional, paving the way for a third act that knocked it out of the park. As an example, when Kid gets saved by the hijra, Patel visually paints them with compassion and empathy, showcasing a hearty respect for this community. These scenes are Patel’s best from a directing standpoint. They demonstrate his ability to direct with humanity and warmth amidst a story gung-ho on showcasing rage and violence.

Patel’s direction became more confident and intentional, paving the way for a third act that knocked it out of the park.

By the end of the film, I did begin to feel the length. With all the repeated flashbacks and scenes that lingered on a bit too long, it’s not difficult to see why. Despite these elements that prevented Monkey Man from being a great action thriller, I still walked away from Patel’s debut excited. Because at the end of the day, Patel shows extreme promise as a director. With his ability to direct with compassion within a simple revenge story, he truly knows how to show both sides of humanity: the beautiful and the ugly. I look forward to whatever he decides to do next.