James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' is a masterful refashioning of the mob flick, set in the 1980s amidst the backdrop of Reagan-era deregulation and the influx of Russian mobsters into New York. The film explores the pursuit of wealth and the consequences that follow, a theme central to American gangster films. However, Gray's take on the genre is novel, focusing on the personal dynamics of the characters rather than the allure of the criminal underworld. The story centers around the Pearl brothers, Irwin and Gary, and their entanglement with the Russian mafia. Irwin, a Jewish family man, is gradually drawn into a redevelopment scheme by his brother Gary, a former policeman with connections. The film begins with a quote from Aeschylus, emphasizing the pursuit of wealth without consequences, a theme that resonates throughout the narrative. As the story unfolds, the brothers' scheme takes a turn for the worse, leading to a series of escalating dangers and a sense of fatalism. The film's aesthetic, captured by cinematographer Joaquín Baca-Asay, creates vivid, gas-lamp memories, reminiscent of Gray's previous work, 'Armageddon Time'. The use of hard shadows and obfuscations of glass and glares adds to the film's tense atmosphere, as the characters' world becomes foggy and their love for each other is tested. The performances of Miles Teller and Adam Driver are particularly notable, as they deliver measured performances that threaten to explode, reflecting the characters' internal struggles between filial instincts and self-preservation. The film's naturalism and grounded interactions are occasionally interrupted by Scarlett Johansson's performance, which takes on a more showy, melodramatic approach, a pitfall of working within genre constraints. Despite this, the film carries immense narrative momentum, with each scene crafted with dramatic gusto, whether it's moments of characters simply sitting down to chat or deviously conceived set pieces. The film challenges the audience's sense of self, never allowing its characters to find moments of peace or reprieve. The pursuit of happiness and the costs associated with it are questioned, providing a contemporary deconstruction of the American Dream. 'Paper Tiger' is a thought-provoking and engaging film that leaves a lasting impression, raising questions about the nature of success and the price of ambition.
