The Scrapper (2021) Film Review
It’s interesting how “smaller” films can sometimes be as effective as any other star-studded, loud, studio film, with half the budget and half the complexity in a plot.
With thrillers, this is a challenge.
You can’t go with a simple plot, everything needs to “fit”, and there shouldn’t be any plot holes. Studios have entire teams dedicated to this. Indie films have to be cleverly designed from their very first stage to avoid breaking some rules.
The Scrapper is a pearl in its own world of small budget films. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to explore the grounds of violence (with very good makeup effects) with a smart plot that has to satisfy audiences. It plays on its own beat and it ends up being a pretty good business card for the team behind the camera.
I won’t dig deep into the plot because you should see it, and solve it by yourself. The film tells the story of an ex-con who works now as a scrapper. He just wants to get away from his past self and take care of his family. But there is one last job he decides to do.
It doesn’t go well, and Jake messes with the wrong people. More specifically, Punjabi and Mexican crime lords who manage the underground of the city. They are thirsty for justice and Jake becomes a target.
A relatively simple plot becomes an opportunity to play with the morale of a character whose flaws make him more human and vulnerable than you’d ever thought the film would allow. But as I mentioned before, there isn’t a hint of fear when playing with a script and injecting twists to break some genre rules and do the best for Jake. But what is the best for Jake when events drive him to put on the costume he wore years before. When The Scrapper becomes a revenge film, it plays well with the audience. The third act steps on the pedal in the game where a character deals with his opponents in the most brutal way.
Performances are rather good in the film. Bari Kang, Gugun Deep Singh and Frank Rodriguez shine in the film. They’re all responsible for making the plot an interesting journey and not a collection of scenes where actors are experimenting. The film is very well directed.
And then there’s the fantastic Samrat Chakrabarti, in the role of Raj. The character is amazingly played by the actor who never misses a mark and gains control of every scene he’s in. His hate is natural, expressed through the anger in his eyes. And his explosive behavior becomes an element of surprise that I was always rooting for. What an actor!
The Scrapper is a pretty good opportunity to change the world you’re used to. It’s indie cinema that doesn’t look like indie cinema. It’s made with so much love you can almost feel the passion of the crew.
But make no mistake.
This isn’t an easy film. It’s violent, gruesome, gory. It doesn’t go by the industry’s standards, and its moral code serves its own agenda of justice in a system where death seems acceptable. It’s mob territory with a slight twist that makes it more cinematic than some of its peers. It’s an action thriller that doesn’t let you rest. It’s just the way it should be.
