Paper Tiger

Paper Tiger is a gripping, meticulously crafted crime film with striking cinematography and excellent performances, particularly from Adam Driver.

James Gray returns to directing for the first time since his 2022 film Armageddon Time, delivering a sleek crime drama that blends elements of Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann. The film follows the Pearl family as they become entangled with, and increasingly threatened by, the Russian mafia. Miles Teller plays the father, Irwin; Scarlett Johansson plays the mother, Hester; and Adam Driver portrays Irwin’s brother, Gary, a former police officer.

The film’s first standout feature is Joaquin Baca-Asay’s cinematography. Its grainy texture evokes the films of the 1970s and 1980s, lending authenticity to the period setting. The two strongest sequences, a home invasion and a shootout, combine assured direction, staging, and cinematography to create some of the most tense and impressive action scenes I have seen this year. The production and costume design also convincingly portray a middle-class suburban family drawn into Queens’ criminal underworld.

Beyond the direction and cinematography, the performances are the film’s greatest strength. Adam Driver again demonstrates why he is one of the world’s finest actors, carrying the film’s central themes as Gary balances protecting his family, confronting his responsibilities as a former police officer, and navigating his ties to the Russian mafia. Driver conveys both strength and vulnerability, and his natural screen presence makes you want to believe Gary is in control even as the situation spirals.

Miles Teller gives one of the most mature performances of his career and convincingly captures the New York accent. Moving beyond the arrogant young-adult roles of his past, he becomes a frightened, overwhelmed, yet loving father who tries to remain strong in adversity. Scarlett Johansson is also excellent, but her character lacks the emotional depth needed to make full use of her talent. A subplot intended to develop Hester ultimately goes nowhere and has less impact than its set-up suggests.

Thematically, the film explores the pursuit of the American Dream and the moral compromises involved in building a new life. Its main weakness is its predictability: despite its suspenseful atmosphere, it does not always distinguish itself from the many gritty crime dramas that preceded it. The Russian mafia also loses some of its menace as the story progresses.

Paper Tiger is well worth watching for James Gray’s direction, its striking cinematography, and the magnetic performances of Driver and Teller. Although the film

is somewhat predictable and underuses Scarlett Johansson, it still has more than enough to rank among the year’s most overlooked films.