Joey Magidson
The best James Gray films are obsessed with the weight of family, the broken promise of the American Dream, and the criminal element that can be lurking just beneath the surface of society. With Paper Tiger, he’s combined them into a brilliant movie that is as good as anything he’s ever done (it’s this and Two Lovers at the very top of his impeccable filmography). Playing as the Opening Night selection of the 64th New York Film Festival, it’s a masterpiece of execution, filled with mounting tension, fantastic performances, and an operatic feel. It’s one of the best works of 2026.
Paper Tiger absolutely staggered me. The themes that Gray loves to explore are as vividly represented here as ever before, with some of the best performances he’s ever received. It all builds up to something unforgettable. I knew where we had to be going, but in Gray’s capable hands, it all features natural, realistic, and best/worst of all…inevitable.
Taking place in Queens (and also Brooklyn) in 1986, the city is about to change. The New York Mets are months away from winning the World Series, but for the Pearl family, bigger things are afoot. Irwin (Miles Teller) is an engineer and family man, working hard for his wife Hester (Scarlett Johansson) and their two teenage sons (Gavin Goudey and Roman Engel). They’re distinctly middle class, with aspirations for the sort of things middle class families tend to want. Irwin’s older brother Gary (Adam Driver), retired from the NYPD and now in private security, lives a more opulent life. When he suddenly appears on their doorstep one night in Queens, he’s brought catering from the expensive Brooklyn steakhouse Peter Luger. It’s more than a social call, however, as he has a business opportunity for his brother.
Gary wants Irwin to partner with him, working with some Russians who have just come to America. The Russians are supposedly operating a clean up job down at the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, so Irwin’s engineering skills would be used to assist them in working with, and around, government regulations. Gary would be the man with the connections. There’s a lot of money involved, and if it seems too good to be true, it is, as Irwin finds out when he goes to scout the place one night. The Russians are actually Russian mafia, who get spooked by Irwin’s presence, and begin hassling his family. As Gary tries to help calm tensions with the mobsters, the fallout for the Pearl family begins. As the brothers’ relationship is strained by Irwin’s fear for his wife and children, Hester begins dealing with her own potential private tragedy, one that could affect them all.
The trio of Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller turn in some of their very best work here for Gray. They’re all phenomenal, each in their own specific ways. Driver is best in show, delivering a boisterous and charismatic, yet deeply internal performance. Even when you’re wondering if Driver’s Gary is on the up and up, you never doubt his love for his brother, or his belief that he can right whatever wrong has been done. Johansson comes on very strong in the third act, when she goes from not wanting to be involved in what the men are up to, all the way to having a massive hand in the fallout. Moreover, her private battle leads to a moment that’s among the best things she’s ever done. Her role is absolutely heartbreaking, down to the final shot of her. As for Teller, he has the least showy of the parts, but his righteousness and desire to do the right thing, it all leads to a wonderful explosion when things get rough. Teller is stretching himself here, with the tremendous results to show for it. In addition to Roman Engel and Gavin Goudey as the teens, both good and believably annoying, the supporting cast includes Cindy Katz, Joel Marsh Garland, Victor Ptak, and Yavor Vesselinov.
Writer/director James Gray has perfected the outer borough crime drama, with this being his thesis statement. His writing finds new ways to tackle family strife and the American Dream, while brilliantly depicting the way the arrival of the Russian mafia changed crime in the city. Gray’s direction has never been more assured, as he’s working within his most comfortable genre, on home turf, no less. The score from Christopher Spelman is quietly powerful, while the visuals from Joaquín Baca-Asay perfectly capture outer borough New York. Truly, aside from there being only the most passing mention/site of the Mets, which would have been unthinkable in New York City during the 1986 baseball season, there’s not a single misstep here by Gray.
Awards-wise, Paper Tiger could be the best chance yet at getting James Gray some recognition from the Academy. NEON should mount a robust campaign, with Best Picture, Best Director (for Gray), Best Actor (for Teller), Best Supporting Actor (for Driver), Best Supporting Actress (for Johansson), and Best Original Screenplay (also for Gray). Driver in Supporting Actor and Gray in Original Screenplay feel like the most achievable categories right now, but if they can get both in, watch out for major consideration in Picture.
Paper Tiger is a masterpiece. Gray is operating at Martin Scorsese levels of execution, with the resulting work staggering in its effectiveness, power, and ability to linger in your mind. This is not just one of the very best things you’ll see at NYFF this year, but one of the best films of the year on the whole. Make it your business to see this one, as it’s just an outstanding piece of cinema.
SCORE: ★★★★
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