The Paper Tigers is a martial arts movie with a similar vein to 2018’s Netflix series Cobra Kai. Mix that with the sentiment of Karate Kid and a shot of Father of the Year and you have a basic feeling for how this movie goes. Quoc Bao Tran’s directorial debut is full of warm fuzzies, great choreography, and a likable story fresh from 2020’s Fantasia Festival.
The Paper Tigers begins with three guys Danny, Hing, and Jim. All were once at the top of their game in Kung-Fu. After learning their beloved master Sifu Cheung has died, the three discover there is more to his death. At the funeral, a trio of punk martial artists appear and Danny, Jim, and Hing begin to look into who they are and what they want. Check out the trailer for The Paper Tigers which will give you a sense of the tone for the film. For release details, join The Paper Tigers on the website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
The Paper Tigers is easily an ensemble character-driven story. The trio of grown men weathered by time, each tiger holds its own individual back-stories. Assisted by an early days rival, Carter, the storyline is full of all the ingredients essential to a martial arts movie. Tradition, Chinese medicine, and compassion underpin the motivations for these forgotten prodegies. Old and new now vie for a place on the top of the mountain. Of course, there is more to the tale than just anecdotal good feelings. Writer-director Tran brings the challenges of the family unit into play with one of the Tigers sons and his ex-wife adding a dose of realism.
The Paper Tigers Cast
In addition to all the seriousness, there is a healthy dose of comedy. Most of the laughs come from Hing (played by Ron Yuan.) Having suffered a workplace injury, he shines in the spot of the humble jokester that always rises as the strongest at heart. Matthew Page plays Carter who’s comedy comes in the form of unresolved jealousy but is none-the-less just as pleasant to see as his character grows with the film. Mykel Shannon Jenkins plays his role as Jim blending harmoniously with Alain Uy’s Danny. Together they had the perfect amount of chemistry to cover the broken friendship side of the never-too-sweet storyline.
Coupled with the English speaking cast this is a truly enjoyable film. The Paper Tigers sales rep is XYZ Films so keep an eye out for more details on when and where you can see this on Mother of Movies.
I give The Paper Tigers
4 Death touches in places you don’t want them out of 5
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- Tran Quoc Bao (Writer/Director/Editor), Yuji Okumoto (Producer)
- YEAR 2020 | COUNTRY USA | RUN TIME 108 mins
- Website: www.thepapertigersmovie.com
- Twitter: @_thepapertigers
- Instagram: @_thepapertigers
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePaperTigersMovie
- Netflix: Worst movies on Netflix
- Indie: Rock Paper and Scissors
- More movies with Karate but not the kid: The Art of Self Defense / Cobra Kai TV Series