Director: William Kaufman
Grief turns tactical in "Shrapnel," a 2023 border-set thriller that pits a retired Marine against the cartel he blames for his daughter's disappearance.
What is Shrapnel about?
When his daughter vanishes without a trace, a hardened former Marine refuses to wait on official channels. He calls in an old combat partner, and the two men cross into cartel territory armed with nothing but training, grudges, and a shrinking window of time. What starts as a search quickly becomes a reckoning, as the pair peel back layers of a smuggling operation that reaches further than either expected. Firefights and quiet standoffs alternate as the leads weigh what they're willing to sacrifice to bring her home, and the film keeps its focus tight on two men who trust almost no one but each other.
Cast & crew
Jason Patric anchors the film as the grieving father, playing the role with a weathered restraint that keeps the story grounded between action beats. Cam Gigandet plays his former squadmate, and the pair's lived-in rapport does a lot of quiet work. Guillermo Iván and Mauricio Mendoza fill out the cartel side of the ledger, giving the opposition some texture beyond stock menace.
Context & significance
Director William Kaufman works largely within the direct-to-VOD action space, and "Shrapnel" fits that lineage: lean runtime, practical stunt work, and a premise built for momentum rather than digression. Released in 2023, it arrived alongside a wave of border-thriller titles trading on similar father-versus-cartel stakes, though its focus stays personal rather than sprawling.
Where & how to watch
"Shrapnel" streams on K-Time with Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles, so viewers can watch in the language that suits them best. The film is available with a free K-Time account login, and the Farsi-language interface makes browsing and playback simple for the diaspora audience the platform serves.