“You gotta watch some Korean movies!”

(Image credit: Universal)

Dev Patel isn’t so sure about his new action thriller Monkey Man, which currently has a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, being described as the “South Asian John Wick.”

At the film’s premiere at SXSW Festival recently, the Slumdog Millionaire actor was asked how he felt about the comparisons (via Austin American-Statesman), to which he candidly claimed that the only real link between his flick and the Keanu Reeves-led series is that they center on “a man in a suit.”

Patel went on: “I’m a huge fan of Chad Stahelski, he’s been very kind to me. I love John Wick; it’s the main touchstone to people in America. For me – I’m a huge fan of the franchise – but, you know, this film is born from my love of so much action cinema, from Bruce Lee to Sammo Hung, to Jet Li to Jackie Chan, to Korean cinema that totally changed my life, and also Bollywood. It’s a weird cocktail of all these things that I’ve injected into this film.”(Image credit: Universal)

Directed by Patel, who also co-wrote the screenplay and stars in the lead role, Monkey Man follows Kid (Patel), a downtrodden young man who makes ends meet by competing in an underground fight club night after night. During each one of the brutal brawls, he wears a gorilla mask, which may hide his identity but doesn’t stop him from getting beaten black and blue every evening.

His life takes a turn, though, when he decides to get revenge on the corrupt leaders responsible for his mother’s death, who have been taking advantage of the poor and powerless people of India.

Monkey Man releases on April 5. For more, check out our picks of the best action movies or our breakdown on all the exciting upcoming movies heading our way.