Paper Tiger Review

James Gray’s *Paper Tiger* is a slow-burning crime drama set in Queens in 1986, where two brothers’ effort to start a consulting business draws an ordinary family into danger. The film explores the brothers’ loyalty and vulnerabilities as they confront criminals they cannot bluff or bargain with, and marks a return to themes familiar from Gray’s early work.

Adam Driver plays Gary, a former cop who uses his City Hall connections, while Miles Teller is Irwin, an engineer worried about his son’s university fees. They plan to advise Russian immigrants running a canal clean-up firm, unaware it is a front for organised crime; after Irwin witnesses something, he, his wife Hester, played by Scarlett Johansson, and their sons are targeted. The review praises the lead performances and the film’s 35mm cinematography and period detail; it opens in cinemas on 13 November.