'The Scrapper Afdah' is a crime thriller that examines the long-standing interaction between Mexicans and Punjabis in America.
Bari Kang talks in unison about the relationship between Punjabis and Mexicans at the start of the film. You'd think the base would be properly explored in the middle of the film, but it's a secondary character in a tale about a man's hardships.
Bari Kang, the film's director, also plays the primary character of Jake in the film. Jake is a metal Scrapper who has resolved to turn over a fresh leaf after being released from jail. He is preoccupied with caring for his mentally challenged brother JB (Gugan Deep Singh) and his pregnant wife Kit (Ava Paloma).
"I saw my life for the first time in prison," Jake says in a voiceover at the start of the movie. His calm and steady control throughout the film contributes to the impression that he is a transformed man who does not want to make a mistake that will send him back to jail.
He has seen an image of a house that he plans to buy one day flashing many times, and despite his financial difficulties, he is intent on making it happen one day. Linda (Alison Thomas Lee), her elder sister, runs a scrap metal company that she uses to clear money for a cartel. He discovers that his sister is owed money by the cartel. He must return to his criminal past and assist in the break-in of a safe, which may be enough to turn things around for him. He is quickly caught up in a fight between Mexicans and Punjabis, which results in a lengthy line of bodies and puts his family in peril.
As the film proceeds, you'll see an image that depicts a brief scene in which you can guess anything basic. Jake is soon shown to be a co-conspirator in the money-laundering scheme.
When Jake believes he has made a huge break for himself and his family, it turns into a sequence of revenge killings. There's also a shady soldier whose motives and allegiance are never quite obvious.
Kang uses a Queens, New York set to present the narrative. Without having to strive to comprehend, the conversation also gives you all you need to know about the individuals and the events in which they are involved.
The Scrapper is a good crime thriller for a low-budget independent film that only grows darker and more serious as you lose interest in the dramas and plays.
Surprisingly, the picture gradually becomes more dramatic, violent, and gory as it approaches the finale. The employment of special effects and make-up also helps to sell the tense build-up to the climax.
This film gets a 5 out of 10 from me. It does what it sets out to do without being overly dramatic or surprising.