Rian Johnson is not holding back his love for James Gray's "Paper Tiger."
The "Knives Out" filmmaker took to Instagram to declare Gray's crime drama his favorite film of 2026, writing: "I've seen some very good films this year, but this is still my favorite. [I'm] going to use the M word. It's an American masterpiece."
That's about as strong an endorsement as you're going to get from a fellow filmmaker, and it couldn't come at a better time for Neon, which is distributing the film theatrically this month.
For those who need a refresher, the film is set in 1986 and follows two brothers, played by Miles Teller and Adam Driver, who get in over their heads with the Russian mob. It premiered in competition at Cannes, and once again, Gray left the festival empty-handed. It later opened the New York Film Festival.
I'll admit I'm not quite at Johnson's level. I found "Paper Tiger" flawed but often very gripping: a return to the gritty New York crime dramas Gray does best. It's romantic and old-fashioned, occasionally too self-serious, but capable of real suspense and beauty. I'm still not convinced it's the film that finally converts the Gray skeptics.
A handful of sequences in "Paper Tiger" rank among Gray's best work. In one, Irwin (Teller) takes his two sons to Brooklyn to see the Russians at work, only for things to turn terrifying when the mobsters begin threatening him and the kids. In another, intruders enter the family home in the middle of the night, and Gray takes his time, filling the house with shadows and near-silence until it plays almost like a horror movie. The climax is another terrific piece of suspense, a tension-filled action set piece.
Honestly, I'm not one of those Gray skeptics. I believe his two best films are "Two Lovers" and "The Lost City of Z." The next tier would include "Armageddon Time," "Paper Tiger" and "We Own the Night." The tier after that, still good, has "The Yards" and "The Immigrant." I still think "Ad Astra" is the worst movie he's ever made, and Gray has partly disowned it because of intense studio meddling.
Neon opens "Paper Tiger" in select theaters this Friday, November 13, before expanding nationwide on November 20.
The "Knives Out" filmmaker took to Instagram to declare Gray's crime drama his favorite film of 2026, writing: "I've seen some very good films this year, but this is still my favorite [..] t's an American masterpiece."