'Paper Tiger' Review: A Gripping Tale of Family And Ambition
Writer/director James Gray makes his return with his new drama Paper Tiger, a family crime drama that is not only one of the year’s finest films, but one that continues to prove he’s one of the finest filmmakers working today.
‘Paper Tiger’ centers on two brothers named Irwin Pearl (Miles Teller) and Gary Pearl (Adam Driver), the former a sheepish engineer and family man while the latter is a former police officer who has done quite well for himself financially after leaving the force. Together, they decide to partner up on a business deal with Russian immigrants affiliated with the mafia on a fruitful, but rather sketchy canal cleanup project that puts them both and their family in harm’s way.
Gray has been making some of the most quietly compelling films over the past couple of decades and this film is certainly no exception. That’s absolutely due in large part to the three central performances from its considerably talented cast. Teller is wonderful as Irwin, imbuing the character with a natural likability, tenderness and naivety that makes him an engaging character to follow throughout, especially as his life becomes increasingly more precarious and complicated as he reconciles his decision to into business with his brother. Driver is a force of nature here, weaponizing his charm, physicality and assured presence with dexterity and magnetism to boot. The chemistry between Teller and Driver is electric, their scenes together brimming with palpable history and emotional intensity. Their scenes together are the finest in the film, the two of them making their relationship feel wholly lived-in, raw and authentic.
Speaking of authenticity, Gray captures the late nineteen eighties time period perfectly. From the production design to the costumes and particularly the stunning cinematography from DP Joaquín Baca-Asay, the audience is immediately transported to the time period with seemingly effortless ease. The world Gray has built with Baca-Asay is rich, textured and incredibly immersive, making playful and thoughtful use of shadows and light to reel the viewer in and keep them firmly on the edge of their seats, crafting a film that feels like a powder keg that could explode at any moment. There are several small scale set pieces that are beautifully shot and constructed, building and sustaining tension with visceral payoff. It’s not only one of Gray’s best looking films, but without question one of the most gorgeously shot films of the year thus far.
The storytelling here is also tight and focused, Gray firmly keeping the spotlight on the central family as their lives are de-railed into darkness, heartbreak and paranoia. He doesn’t populate the film with an overabundance of characters or plot threads, but instead chooses to tell a simple, but powerful tale of family and ambition in the pursuit of the American dream. The mafia-laced narrative may feel familiar to audiences, but with Gray’s singular voice, it feels wholly fresh and emotionally engaging. He makes it abundantly clear that this is a film far more about family and the price of unbridled ambition than it is a mafia crime thriller, which works considerably well in its favor.
However, there is one notable issue that plagues Gray’s latest. While Scarlett Johansson delivers a strong, emotionally grounded performance as Linda, Irwin’s wife, her character unfortunately feels ancillary at best and superfluous at worst throughout the course of the story. The film lays promising groundwork in establishing the open, transparent dynamic between Irwin and Linda, but never truly sees it through after the former goes into business with his brother. Linda is mainly sidelined in the film, given her own disparate subplot that feels as if it belongs in another film entirely, her character largely disconnected from the central narrative. Johansson admirably elevates a fair amount of the material, but by the time the credits rolled, it became quite clear that if her character was excised from the film entirely, it would not only make little impact, but most likely tighten up the storytelling and pacing.
‘Paper Tiger’ is a handsomely made and delightfully old fashioned crime drama that continues to showcase a filmmaker in fine form, weaving a powerful tale that is as heart-wrenching as it is thrilling. Gray continues to deliver rich, textured filmmaking and pull tremendous performances out of his actors, giving them fully realized worlds to inhabit. It may have taken quite some time for the filmmaker to deliver something new, but his latest will remind audiences that his films are always worth waiting for.