Independent studio NEON has dropped the official trailer for Paper Tiger, sending shockwaves across social media and instantly igniting intense award-season chatter online. Directed by acclaimed auteur James Gray, this dark, visceral 1980s New York crime drama brings together an extraordinary trio of Hollywood heavyweights—Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson—in a gripping story of brotherly loyalty, criminal greed, and terrifying mob extortion.

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The Breakdown

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The electrifying two-minute trailer plunges viewers straight into 1986 Queens, where two brothers pursue a lucrative business proposition near the Gowanus Canal that promises to secure their family's financial future. Irwin, a naive engineer played by Miles Teller, walks into a crime scene he was never meant to witness, unwittingly entangling his household with a ruthless, rapidly expanding Russian mob syndicate. His older brother Gary, a hardened former police officer portrayed by Adam Driver, attempts to leverage his street smarts to handle the escalating crisis before it turns fatal.

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As deadly threats escalate into outright terror, Irwin's fiercely protective wife Hester, played by Scarlett Johansson, desperately sounds the alarm when mob enforcers corner their household. The high-tension footage showcases intense confrontations, heavy atmospheric 35mm cinematography, thick New York accents, and a chilling descent into systemic corruption where betrayal becomes the only surviving option.

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"You stuck your nose where it didn't belong, and now I got to get a handle on it before these people come for everyone."
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Context & Industry Hype

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James Gray's Paper Tiger arrives as one of the most anticipated cinematic offerings of the fall season following its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it earned a thunderous ten-minute standing ovation. With cinematographer Joaquin Baca-Asay capturing the gritty underbelly of 1980s New York on vibrant film, early reviews are hailing the $15 million crime saga as Gray's most operatic and accessible masterpiece since his iconic classic We Own The Night.

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Industry insiders and box office analysts predict strong theatrical turnout when NEON releases the movie nationwide in November. Moviegoers are celebrating the return of adult-oriented, director-driven crime thrillers to the big screen, praising the magnetic chemistry between Driver, Teller, and Johansson. With open competition at the autumn box office and immense critical momentum, Paper Tiger is positioned as a formidable frontrunner in upcoming film awards.

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With its star-studded ensemble cast, edge-of-your-seat narrative, and brooding 1980s aesthetic, Paper Tiger is poised to be an essential theatrical experience this autumn. Audiences can witness the suspense unfold on the big screen when NEON brings the film to select theaters on November 13, 2026, followed by a wide nationwide expansion on November 20.