The Scrapper Review
The Scrapper is a 2021 feature film written and directed by Bari King.
A unique take on the mob thriller film, combining a new type of racial tension in a modern world. The Scrapper has all the connecting pieces for a solid film but falls just a bit short in the final execution.
There is no denying that The Scrapper has an interesting premise. Looking at the underground tensions of Punjabi and Mexican immigrants. While this makes for a strong opening piece to the film, there just isn’t enough exploration put on the table throughout.
It was in order to keep the scope small that we are introduced to our main character, simply referred to as “Punk,” in the film. He has a storied background on paper, with a father that was part of the criminal underground, but this is all explored through exposition. We are not given enough visual elements to really feel this tension of a man trying to escape a dark road laid out in front of him.
Another issue here is the mentally handicap brother who fairs a bit tone deaf in the portrayal from Gugun Deep Singh. Rather than being endearing, the interactions feel a touch uncomfortable.
From a visual standpoint, though, the film certainly has a clean (almost too crisp) aesthetic with some sharp cinematography throughout. The tones and lighting stay largely consistent and there aren’t any moments of scenes falling too dark or blown out at all.
The violence shown as well is a touch inconsistent too. Some scenes feeling like they want to go full on visceral attacks and then other moments where we just see the aftermath of things. It doesn’t feel like it knows whether it wants to have gore or just let the audience fill in the blanks.
The same goes for the story, which, as mentioned before, goes smaller in scope. Normally this isn’t an issue, but here it was just leaving a feeling of what could be a much grander tale of a man stuck on both sides of a conflict. Just a simple change to make him from both cultures would have provided some higher stakes and greater tension throughout.
Overall, The Scrapper brings some solid moments during its runtime, it just doesn’t always stick the landing. For fans of shows like The Sopranos there will be a lot to like, but without stronger characters the highs just can’t be matched here.
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Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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