The moral and legal battle between self-preservation and helping other people is a powerful one, especially for those who wish to overcome their tumultuous past and create a better life for themselves and their families. That’s certainly the case for actor Bari Kang’s anti-hero of Jake in the new crime thriller, ‘The Scrapper.’
The film was distributed this week on Digital, courtesy of 1091 Pictures. In honor of ‘The Scrapper’s release, ShockYa is premiering an exclusive clip from the feature. In the clip, Jake drives up to a secluded home. When he then walks into the front door, which is already open, he’s surprised to find another man has been murdered in the living room. He then sees two more men drive up to the house through the front window, and ponders what he should do next.
‘The Scrapper,’ which is set in Queens, New York, follows Jake as he tries to leave a criminal playing-field of modern immigrant syndicates: human-traf?cking, money-laundering and unflinching brutality. Uncomfortable in his Punjabi-Mexican skin, Jake, who’s an ex-con turned scrapper, carries the weight of both his family legacy and a violent past. Caring for a mentally-disabled brother and an unborn child on the way, he’s focused on turning his life around.
When one last job presents a way out for good, Jake must decide between loyalty to blood ties or to his newfound family. His past soon catches up with him and he’s thrown into the middle of a con?ict between Punjabi and Mexican factions led by violent, ruthless criminals. As events explode into brutal violence, with everyone he loves at stake, he may need to go to his own darkest places to ?nally escape.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the darker side of human nature and drawn to the ?lms of Scorsese, De Palma, Tarantino and Melville. The underdog, outcast and anti-hero are who captivate me. This is what inspired me to write ‘The Scrapper, a crime thriller with an ethnic twist, set in a world of Punjabi-Mexican criminals. (The film was i)nspired by my personal experience as an illegal Punjabi immigrant youth in Queens, New York,” Kang said.
“The ?lm has a dark gritty tone elevated by a fully ethnic cast and authentic locations. Amidst the outbursts of brutal violence are beautiful contemplative moments of vulnerability and love. On the surface, ‘The Scrapper’ is a crime thriller genre film, but at its core, it’s about family, loyalty and change.,” the filmmaker added.
In addition to starring in ‘The Scrapper,’ Kang also wrote and directed the feature. Besides Kang, the drama also stars Craig muMs Grant (‘Oz, ‘No Sudden Move’), Ava Paloma (‘Deadlock’), Gugun Deep Singh (‘The Expanse‘), Samrat Chakrabarti (‘Little Voice’), Anil Kumar (’24’), Allison Thomas Lee (‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’), Ankur Bhatia (‘Power Book II: Ghost’), Frank Rodriguez (‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’) and Andhy Mendez (‘Bull’).
ShockYa is premiering an exclusive clip from writer-director-actor Bari Kang's crime thriller, 'The Scrapper.'