Monkey Man 4K Ultra HD

"Monkey Man" cuts into the world of gritty and stylized hand-to-hand combat. Dev Patel stars as a man with no name, scarred by a brutal childhood, who ekes out a meager living in underground fighting rings. But when he finds a way to rise up and infiltrate his city’s corrupt elite, he kicks off an explosive campaign for retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him as a boy. Channeling the rage of the poor and powerless, an unexpected hero emerges in this fight-filled action epic. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director/Actor/Writer/Producer Dev Patel, Producers Jomon Thomas and Sam Sahni, and Co-Producer Raghuvir Joshi; four featurettes: "A Labor Of Love" (HD 08:44), "Monkey Man Of Action" (HD 08:35), "Fateful Encounters" (HD 07:21) and "Roots Exposed" (HD 03:02); alternate opening (HD 03:58); alternate ending (HD 02:45); six deleted/extended scenes (HD 22:34) and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 2.39:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed digitally in anamorphic /i Scope using the Arri Alexa Mini camera system and sourced from an upconverted 4K master Digital Intermediate. Picture quality is excellent. The imagery is fast moving with extremely short edits, which create exciting and intense action sequences. Color content is often stylized yet colors appear naturally hued. Hues reveal nuanced shadings. At times colors pop, but for the most part the color palette is tinted in blueish and orangish tones for stylization . A scene at a forest stream exhibits beautiful green and bark colors. The urban and slum environments appear realistic in character. Flesh tones are naturally hued. HDR contrast is excellent. Black levels are deep and shadow delineation reveals dark shadings. White levels appear realistic. Resolution is excellent with revealing facial and body features such as skin pores, lines, mustaches and hair. Clothing fabrics and jewelry are nicely detailed. Object textures are finely detailed throughout. This is a complex and visually intricate picture that is thoroughly compelling. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is mis-credited. There is no height layer and thus should have been credited as Dolby TrueHD 7.1. While the spherical surround element is absent, the ear level soundfiedl is most engaging and dimensional. The combative action sequence sonics are intense and dynamic sounding. Atmospherics are effective as a sound element. Sound effects are dynamic sounding and supported with deep .1 LFE bass frequencies, especially punches and kicks during intense hand-to-hand combat. Gunfire sounds realistically powerful. A significant low end range of frequencies occupy the soundtrack. The music is quite rhythmic at times and sweeping across a wide soundstage that aggressively extends to the surrounds. Surround energy is virtually constant throughout. Dialogue is remarkably integrated spatially, even during intense action scenes. At times English subtitles appear on screen for translation of the occasional Indian dialogue. This is a powerfully active and dynamic sounding holosonic® soundtrack that is in numerous respects distinctly compelling. Reference quality. (Gary Reber)