Paper Tiger
By Joanna Langfield
James Gray’s newest drama feels like a bit of paper tiger itself, initially impressive, but, ultimately, just too thin to leave the impression we’d hope it would.
Tapping into the themes and techniques of the old school type dramatic thrillers, Gray introduces us to what could have been a killer of a Jacob and Esau story. Here, it’s the New York outer boroughs of 1986. Irwin Pearl and his wife have two nice sons, he’s running a modestly successful engineering firm from the basement. They’re doing ok. But then brother Gary sweeps in, carrying fancy steaks and a business offer Irwin can’t refuse.
I’ve spent a long time pondering why this movie didn’t work for me. Was it Adam Driver’s sleek but smarmy performance as the desperately manipulative Gary? I don’t think so. And it wasn’t Scarlett Johansson’s cog in the wheel Linda, a woman whose life has suddenly spun way out of control. Could it be Miles Teller, who, in his most recent films has been cast as a kind of sweet straight man? Teller is very effective when he gets to tap into the kind of indisputable energy that consistently seems to be lying right beneath his skin. This time, he is tasked to play the used, not the user. And, for me, the balance feels off.
And that’s a shame. Because who wouldn’t want to fall for a movie like this? It should be noted there is some strong supporting players and evocative camera work, yet this could have, should have been a far more ferocious, devastating piece. Sadly, at least for me, the film left more of a paper cut, not a true, bloody, bite.
Leave a Reply