Dev Patel loves John Wick, but “the basis of it all is Korean films”

From Old Boy to The Chaser, via I Met the Devil, Dev Patel confirms his love for Korean cinema which inspired him for his first film, Monkey Man.

Change of reference! We will have to slow down comparisons of Monkey Man with John Wick. Because yes, it's not just Keanu Reeves who wears a suit and guns and fights fiercely in impeccably choreographed fights. There's also Korean actor Choi Min-Sik – and he's with a hammer.

For the Inside Total Film podcast, Dev Pattel revealed his many inspirations for his first feature film as director. If the British actor does not hide his admiration for the films of Chad Stahelski to whom we owe the action saga John Wickhe admits to having mainly drawn from Korean cinema.

For Monkey ManDev Patel took the works of Park Chan-Wook (Old Boy)Kim Jee-Woon (I met the devil, A Bittersweet Life) and Wong Kar-Wai (In the Mood for Love). For him, Korean cinema is the perfect mix of violence and emotion.

“The big reference right now is John Wick, and I'm a huge fan of Chad (Stahelski) and the franchise. But you know, the basis of all this is Korean authors. Angry guys in suits in incredible action scenes, that's from them. These Korean films not only have the most violent, gory action scenes we have ever seen, but also have a lot of emotion and pathos in them. You know, they're not afraid to double or even triple those moments of emotional flutter and lingering looks of love or desire or whatever. And I like that. There is a deep social context in these films, and I wanted to try to do the same thing in my own way.”

Rather, during an “Ask me Anything” session on Reddit during which he notably confided the numerous difficulties encountered during filming, he was also able to share with his fans his passion for the cinema of the land of the morning calm. He writes : “You could say I'm a fanboy of Korean films. No one wears a black suit and kicks as good as these Koreans.“

Will Dev Patel be as brutal and emotional as the Koreans? You will have to wait until April 17, 2024, the French release date of Monkey Manfor the knowledge.