Ordinary People Take on the Scammers

A new movie, The Unexpecteds, turns the tables on the usual action heroes. Here, the stars are everyday folks, not muscle-bound superheroes. The director, Alejandro Montoya Marín, calls them schlubs, but he means it with affection. These are regular people who stumble into a fight against a slick online scammer. The story kicks off when a group of friends, all small-time investors, realize they've been swindled by a guy named Metal Mike. Led by Gary, a soon-to-be-divorced guy with a guilty conscience, they band together to get their money back. They're not experts or professionals. They're just regular people who refuse to be victims. This isn't just a fun story. It's based on real-life scams that happen every day. The FBI says nearly a million Americans fell for online cons last year alone. The director, who's been trying to make movies for years, knows all about fighting for what you believe in. He had to cut entire characters and scenes to make this movie happen. But he didn't give up. The cast knows a thing or two about struggle too. Chelsea Rendon, who plays one of the scammed friends, says it takes time to make it as an actor. On the other end of the spectrum is Felipe, a tough guy played by Alejandro De Hoyos. He joined the project after being scammed himself. He even did his own stunts, impressing the crew on his very first day. Then there's Metal Mike, the scammer. Played by John Kaler, this character is a mix of ridiculous and dangerous. Kaler and the director have worked together before, so he trusted the process even when the jokes were at his character's expense. The whole cast and crew worked together like a well-oiled machine.