Paper Tiger Review: James Gray's Mob Tragedy Blends Mythic Sweep with Personal Storytelling
By
David Ehrlich
15d ago· 11 min readenReview
100/100
Golden Brown
Bagelometer↗
Front-window bakery material. Catches the eye, delivers the goods.
Score100TypereviewSentimentpositive
Summary
A review of James Gray's film "Paper Tiger," starring Adam Driver as a Jewish mobster in 1980s New York. The film is described as a sweeping, mythic yet personal tragedy that explores themes of greed, family, and the American Dream during the Mets' 1986 World Series era. The review highlights Gray's direction, Driver's performance, and the film's layered storytelling that blends mob drama with intimate character study.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIt's the final weekend of summer in 1986, upwardly aspirant Jewish families across Queens are still crowding around country club pools to make sure they get their annual money's worth.
What Irwin knows is that greed is good. That the income gap is widening at an unprecedented rate.
Like all of James Gray's best films, 'Paper Tiger' is both sweepingly mythic and hauntingly personal all at once.
Like all of James Gray's best films, "Paper Tiger" is both sweepingly mythic and hauntingly personal all at once.
