A One Mann’s Movies review of “Paper Tiger”. (From the 2026 London Film Festival). (2026, 4.5*, NR).
There was a lot of chatter about this film beforehand at the LFF… “oh, a James Gray film” etc. I sometimes feel a fraud in such company doing this ‘job’ (very much with rabbit ears). I nod sagely and say “yah, yah” a lot. Because I think the only James Gray film I’ve seen before was his Ad Astra in 2019… and I wasn’t a great fan. But based on Paper Tiger, perhaps I should give some more of his back catalogue a view.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
It’s New York City, 1986. Irwin Pearl (Miles Teller) is an engineer and family man living in Queens. When his brother, a showboating ex-police officer Gary (Adam Driver), enlists him for a high paying job, things rapidly take a turn for the worse.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This film has not yet received a classification by the BBFC, but I would expect it to be a 15 based on violence, threat and strong language.)
Talent:
Starring: Miles Teller, Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Roman Engel, Gavin Goudey,
Victor Ptak.
Directed by: James Gray.
Written by: James Gray.
Running Time: 1h 54m.
Review:
Positives:
- The film beautifully spends its time setting up the family environment. We see Irwin (Miles Teller) doing DIY around his house, berating one of his sons, in a loving way, for still being in bed. We meet Linda (Scarlett Johannsson) as the stressed mother trying to keep life and the household pointing in the right direction. And then after we have that established, we get the visit from Uncle Gary (Adam Driver)…. cool, calm, sophisticated, honest, quietly dropping into the film the fact he has a police past and he still carries a gun. For this is New York in 1986, a much more dangerous place than it is now, with the Italian mafia still running the show in lots of neighbourhoods.
- The script builds tension: for this is a drama/thriller largely based on tension rather than action sequences (of which there are only a couple). Gary presents a money-making scheme to engineer Irwin, which seems too good to be true: and indeed, so it proves to be. One of the joys here is that Gary sees these ‘nice Russian guys’ as being new kids on the block too, trying to eke out an honest living among the mobs: businessmen keen to do business in an honest and trustworthy way. As the viewer, you KNOW that isn’t going to be the case. So you are constantly on edge. Irwin then does something so mind-numbingly dumb (with a “b”) that your superiority as a viewer springs to the fore. (We are in 2026, and law and order in the UK is pretty solid and crime rates are low. But not even I would say “Hey, Grandkids, lets jump into the car and drive down to a dodgy bit of Southampton docks late tonight”!) It’s the spark the film needed to ignite. The plot then revolves around Gary trying to unwind the impossibly tangled mess Irwin has created – with Gary constantly assuring Irwin and Lucy that “yes, it’s all fixed now”. It would be comical if it wasn’t so stressful.
- The performances are all first rate, but Scarlett Johannsson’s stands out as truly special. She has a lot to deal with in this film, (a story arc all of her own) but she acts magnificently. It would be no surprise if an acting nomination was to come her way for this, and possibly a win. I’m never been a huge fan of Adam Driver’s acting which I find to be a bit ‘one-note’ sometimes. But this is one of my favourite performances of his, since his character goes on a substantial journey.
- James Gray directs with real style and panache dropping in some wonderful cinematic touches. A fade on a staircase; a tense reed-bed-scene; a brilliantly tense housebreaking scene. In one scene, set in a print works, the printing presses hammer out a repetitive stress-inducing beat that carries on in the background into the next scene. The work of a master.
- Hats off to the casting team for the sons Gavin Goudey and Roman Engel: they very much look like they are related to Miles Teller.
- The soundtrack by Christopher Spelman is excellent, adding tension where it is needed but knowing when to shut up for most of the time. It really added to the ‘classic 90s’ feel of the film.
Negatives:
- I saw this with my daughter Jenn (of the wonderful Movie Bread Club podcast) and although she rated the film as being decent, she was unhappy with the lack of a more traditional story arc. And I can see her point. We have a beginning and a middle but not a completely satisfactory end. Some things feel wrapped up, but others perhaps… not so much. It’s one of those types of movies.
- Personally, I didn’t really need the father-son sit-down talk at the end. I thought it was a little on-the-nose and would have preferred something more nuanced.
Summary Thoughts:
This is a return to the sort of movies that they made in the 90’s… a character driven piece, full of 70’s style and atmosphere and that told a tense story that I found engrossing. It is also one of those films that you feel might be picked apart and critiqued in Film Studies courses in the future. Recommended.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldCb77jXIsM.
Subscribe
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to One Mann’s Movies to receive future reviews by email right here. No salesman will call!