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R | 1h 55m | Crime, Thriller | 2026
James Gray’s latest crime-thriller, “Paper Tiger,” is solidly in his wheelhouse, as it deals with tested family ties, in addition to containing a criminal element. Gray’s stories tend to feature the achievement of the archetypal American Dream. While set in the 1980s, “Paper Tiger” has more of a 1970s feel.
The title is also a bit ironic, as it could be describing the film itself. It looks like a tough crime thriller that might pack a knockout punch, but the punch turns out to be a fairly ineffectual jab.
An Offer He Should Have Refused
Irwin Pearl (Miles Teller) is a happily married engineer. His wife, Hester (Scarlett Johansson), dotes on their two sons, Ben (Roman Engel) and Scott (Gavin Goudey).
Irwin’s older brother Gary Pearl (Adam Driver), an ex-cop-turned-entrepreneur, tries to bring his younger sibling in on a legitimate business venture, one aspect of which is cleaning up Brooklyn’s filthy, polluted Gowanus Canal. But they soon become entangled with, and dangerously indebted to, the Russian mafia.
Their dream quickly becomes largely unattainable, then impossible, and their lives implode more dramatically than might have been expected from the start.
Portentous CT Scan
Johansson has a side plot involving a medical crisis that comes out of nowhere and that has nothing to do with the film. She does what she can with her wife-from-Jersey role, but she’s essentially wasted.
The stories here don’t feel new and fresh, but familiar and predictable. The crime is present, but the thriller is thrill-less. Even the Russian mob aspect is subdued and one-dimensional. They’re portrayed in the usual chain-wearing, ponytailed, velour-track-suited manner.
The only thing “Paper Tiger” has going for it is a charismatic Driver in his expensive-suit-wearing mode, a la his turn as Enzo Ferrari. It’s the type of character De Niro might have played a few decades ago. While Teller turns in a solid supporting role as the naive younger brother—who inadvertently lands his family in hot water because of his rather sad need to show off to his sons—the film never really gains traction.
That said, a car-interior scene in which two young boys are threatened by Russian goons crackles with menace, and the marsh-bordered parkway ending, while feeling like it was lifted from Michael Mann’s “Heat,” is sobering.
Overall, though the stakes are high, it doesn’t feel like much goes on. “Paper Tiger” is unfortunately quickly forgettable.
‘Paper Tiger’
Director: James Gray
Starring: Adam Driver, Miles Teller, Scarlett Johansson
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Release Date: Nov. 20, 2026
Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of 5
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