Paper Tiger
Neon | Release Date: TBA CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
42
AwardsWatchRyan McQuadeMay 18, 2026
It’s an auteur-driven snoozer that showcases inconsistency across the board, and demands someone take a second pass on Gray’s screenplays moving forward. Read full review
60
ColliderEmma KielyMay 19, 2026
Paper Tiger hits all the notes you’d expect from an '80s-set crime drama, but the film lacks anything else to make it stand out from the rest. Read full review
100
IndieWireDavid EhrlichMay 16, 2026
Gray is no stranger to saga about fraternal strains, but never has he so forcefully tugged at the ties that bind, or more sensitively observed how they can suffocate an entire family when a certain force pulls on them hard enough. Read full review
80
IONCINEMA.comNicholas BellMay 17, 2026
Paper Tiger is partially a film about ‘more money, more problems,’ but also, quite powerfully, a study on how the tantalizing facade of the American Dream is an express elevator to hell for anyone who desires to outstrip the fate of their economic realities. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreMay 17, 2026
Driver ably brings the heartbreak in Paper Tiger, though Johansson’s no slouch in a less ornate but no less harrowing role. Read full review
60
Next Best PictureMatt NegliaMay 16, 2026
There are flashes throughout of the filmmaker at his absolute best, enough to remind audiences why Gray remains one of America’s most compelling storytellers, but taken as a whole, Paper Tiger ultimately feels like a lesser entry in his filmography, let alone the crime genre, which he has dabbled in on more than one occasion. Read full review
60
Radio TimesPatrick CremonaMay 17, 2026
Teller and Driver really are terrific – the latter especially great when we discover both the extent of his force and the limits of his bravado. And so even with those aforementioned flaws, there's plenty here to savour, and more than enough for Gray's relatively small but extremely devoted band of die-hards to celebrate. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonMay 16, 2026
As is often the case with this writer-director, Gray’s film has a dim view of the American Dream but, if some of the script’s contours are familiar, Paper Tiger’s quiet intensity and growing sibling tension make it a compelling experience. Read full review
50
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonMay 17, 2026
The most frustrating aspect of Paper Tiger is that there’s an exceptional film here somewhere. The budding tension was magnificent, to the point where the action that followed felt like a giant sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough – so much so that the 115-minute runtime felt entirely too short. Read full review
91
The Film StageLuke HicksMay 20, 2026
Paper Tiger is a welcome addition to the oeuvre and one that has potential to mature into something even greater. The man simply knows how to tell a New York story. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 17, 2026
It’s a meaty drama with big scenes and big but carefully considered performances: a really substantial piece of work from Gray. Read full review
100
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMay 16, 2026
Gray and his superb cast are in blazing form and full command here in a bruising movie that reveals the heavy price of pursuing the American Dream too recklessly. Read full review
100
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezMay 16, 2026
Paper Tiger may be built from recognizable Gray pieces, but he keeps finding new variations inside the same mournful blues. The result is familiar in outline, but authentic, poignant, and quietly devastating. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMay 16, 2026
Gray’s film is itself no paper tiger – yes, it’s a fondly conceived throwback, but its claws are real. Read full review
40
The TimesEd PottonMay 17, 2026
The film is very much a paper tiger — what feels at first like a prestige production is ultimately toothless and unconvincing. Read full review
80
TheWrapSteve PondMay 17, 2026
Paper Tiger is still a thriller, because the events that play out on screen wouldn’t allow it not to be. But rarely do you find a thriller with this much heart. Read full review
100
TimeStephanie ZacharekMay 16, 2026
In places, this picture is wrenchingly tense, as if Gray were discovering a gift he didn’t know he had, playing on the audience’s nerves the way you’d gently tighten the pegs on a violin. Read full review
60
Time OutPhil de SemlyenMay 20, 2026
The storytelling doesn’t quite live up to the craft and performances. Read full review
60
VarietyOwen GleibermanMay 16, 2026
The movie is engineered to be seen as “powerful.” Right now, though, I’d say that he’s an ace director who’s still being undercut by the holes in his screenplays. Read full review
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