"There's a rot in the foundation of the American Dream in James Gray's very good "Paper Tiger," a return to familiar territory that echoes his early films like " The Yards" and " We Own the Night " but with an even stronger current of doomed melancholy. The waters that flow through this section of 1986 New York are quite literally polluted, and the corruption that's working its way downstream is washing average families away in its sludge."
"From the minute that Gary Pearl ( Adam Driver) shows up at his brother Irwin's ( Miles Teller) home in the first scene of "Paper Tiger," we know things aren't going to end well. Driver gives Gary a sense of dangerous confidence, the kind of classic movie character who overestimates his skill to get out of a deadly situation and underestimates his enemy's determination to trap him. However, Driver refuses to lean into what could have been the exaggerated hyperactivity of this character, finding the truth in it instead of the clichéd fidgety nature that often typifies this role. He's a problem solver faced with a gigantic problem."
"It starts when Gary suggests that Alan come aboard a new construction consulting firm this ex-cop is starting. New work along the Gowanus Canal has led to a sort of Wild West approach to regulations, and Gary wants to bring the levelheaded Alan on to consult with companies who want to avoid the authorities, either by doing things legally, or just hiding them the right way. He warns him that they're walking into the criminal underworld and they need to step lightly as they do. Let the street-smart Gary do the talking; he knows how to deal with these people."
"After a consultation goes so well that Alan comes home with $10k in his pocket, he makes the mistake of bringing his two sons down to the worksite at night, noticing that an excavator is in a position that could get his new clients in trouble. When he walks into something clearly illegal, he pushes the domino"
1986 New York is portrayed as polluted, with corruption washing average families away. Gary Pearl arrives at his brother Irwin’s home with dangerous confidence, solving problems while underestimating an enemy’s determination to trap him. Gary proposes bringing Alan, an ex-cop, onto a new construction consulting firm tied to work along the Gowanus Canal. The firm aims to help companies avoid authorities by staying legal or hiding wrongdoing effectively. A consultation succeeds, but Alan brings his sons to the worksite at night and notices an excavator positioned in a way that could implicate new clients. When Alan encounters something clearly illegal, he pushes the situation forward, triggering a chain of consequences.
Read at Roger Ebert
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