Despite having only 20 film credits to his name, Dev Patel has made an impression on filmgoers. Patel was quick to establish himself as a leading man with his debut feature Slumdog Millionaire and has continued to star in thoughtful, compelling films such as Lion and The Green Knight. This month, Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man is released in theaters and to celebrate this accomplishment, we are featuring Dev Patel in this month’s Retrospective Roundtable. Read below for our thoughts on a number of our favorite Dev Patel performances:

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Slumdog Millionaire is like the film equivalent of a music supergroup. Directed by Trainspotting and 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle, shot by digital cinematography pioneer Anthony Dod Mantle, and starring Indian film legends Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, Slumdog Millionaire has a lot going for it. But Kapoor and Khan aren’t playing the lead role of the film – that distinction would go to Dev Patel in his feature film debut. And what a debut. Playing the lead role in a Best Picture-winning film is about as triumphant of a way to start a career as any.

Dev Patel plays Jamal Malik, a boy raised in the underbelly of Mumbai. Growing up in the slums, Jamal is regarded as unlikely to answer every question right on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. So much so that Jamal is accused of cheating and interrogated by the police when the episode ends on a cliffhanger before the final question. Slumdog Millionaire portrays Jamal’s defense of himself, showing how Jamal knew the answers to the questions through his upbringing. The film becomes a balancing act of a rags to riches story, a thriller, and a heartfelt romance as Jamal recounts his life story and finally his motivation for becoming a contestant on the show. 

Initially depicted as out of place on the reality television set, Patel’s acting is able to convey Jamal’s increasing confidence as he answers each subsequent question correctly. Jamal isn’t without resistance as the game show’s host played by Anil Kapoor taunts him and even attempts to feed him an incorrect answer. In Slumdog Millionaire as well as a number of his performances, Patel plays characters who rise above expectations and he expresses their transformations through slight changes in demeanor and non-verbal acting. In addition to becoming a critically-acclaimed film, Slumdog Millionaire would also serve as a strong preview of Patel’s acting to come. – Alex Sitaras

Chappie (2015)

At one point, Neill Blomkamp was the hottest in-demand director in Hollywood after the success of his sci-fi thriller turned apartheid allegory District 9. So much so that despite the mixed reception to his ambitious sophomore film Elysium, Blomkamp managed to get his next feature, Chappie, financed by Sony Pictures through a convoluted bit of Hollywood horsetrading. Chappie has largely escaped the national consciousness nearly ten years after its release and for good reason.  It is a bizarre E.T. story with the titular robot, a repurposed police robot given new life with a program that grants its consciousness, voiced gratingly by the one aspect of District 9 no one was raving about – Sharlto Copley. It is a simple, childish tale with R-rated violence and language chock full of overblown, borderline offensive stereotypes. Not to mention that this plot has been done better by many movies, not least of which was the underrated The Iron Giant.  

Dev Patel plays Deon Wilson, the scientist responsible for giving Chappie his consciousness. It is difficult to find anyone who is a real character in this film, but Patel comes the closest. He is able to believably balance his inherent gentleness as a screen persona with his obsession to do his work unimpeded. His relationship to Chappie, as both creator and exploiter, is the most complicated in this simplistic film, and Patel is able to mine this drama throughout the film. Even in a high-concept film like Chappie, Patel can be the empathetic human element that grounds the whole enterprise. – Eugene Kang

Lion (2016)

On the surface, Lion does not exactly scream Oscar bait, though it was nominated for several. It is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley (played as an adult by Dev Patel) who is separated from his family when he falls asleep at a train station and later on a train to Calcutta. After a fairly gripping first third in which Saroo must escape from kidnappers and later is adopted by the Brierlys (Nicole Kidman plays his adopted mother), Lion focuses on the adult Saroo’s longing to reunite his family and how his obsessive search has an emotional toll on him and his family.

Much of the tension is emotional and internal and doesn’t seem cinematic, especially when much of this film is dedicated to Saroo searching on Google Earth for his home village. But Garth Davis manages to create dramatic tension with his close-ups and giving his actors the room to emote. Dev Patel manages to be the emotional center that this film needs with really subtle manifestation of the emotional pain and loneliness that he feels. Even when he rejects the people who are trying to help him, it is clear that it is coming from a place of real pain. If you are not a transracial adoptee, witnessing someone feel real pain over their identity may seem a bit confusing, but Patel’s performance makes that pain real and recognizable. Patel’s Academy Award nomination (for best supporting actor bafflingly) was well-deserved. Also, Nicole Kidman is an extraordinary actress, and it seems that she saw the sensitiveness in Patel’s performance and matched it, which goes to show just capable Patel was to match a co-star with much more experience than he had at that point. – Eugene Kang

The Green Knight (2021)

When a film hints towards its ending in the opening scenes, there has to be more to the film than story alone. In David Lowery’s The Green Knight, the “more” is Dev Patel’s performance as Sir Gawain. Gawain is a miserly man, unable to live up to the reputation of his uncle who is none other than King Arthur (Sean Harris). On Christmas Day, Gawain joins his uncle and their family for a feast at the Round Table. Gawain is aware that his character and his reputation is inferior to that of anyone in the room and when the Green Knight is summoned, Gawain’s desperation to prove his worth comes with a tragic consequence. 

As part of a “friendly Christmas game”, the Green Knight tells Arthur that one of his knights must come forward and strike him. Whether the knight merely scratches the Green Knight or lands a more serious blow, the knight must seek out the Green Knight the following Christmas and allow him to deal a reciprocating blow. The Green Knight baits Gawain by exposing his neck, and Gawain makes a very unfortunate decision. 

In The Green Knight, Dev Patel has a challenging role to play. Gawain is an antihero who, through fault of his own, now has the opportunity to redeem himself and demonstrate integrity by returning to the Green Knight the following Christmas and receiving his fate. He has to overcome his cowardice and arrogance, and decide what kind of person he will be in what will possibly be his final moments. Dev Patel plays the role of Gawain with compassion and fortitude in an impossible to forget film. – Alex Sitaras