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The Paper Tigers

  • 2020
  • PG-13
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Ron Yuan, and Alain Uy in The Paper Tigers (2020)
As teenagers, kung fu disciples Danny (Alain Uy), Hing (Ron Yuan) and Jim (Mykel Shannon Jenkins) were inseparable. Fast forward 25 years, and each has grown into a washed-up middle-aged man seemingly one kick away from pulling a hamstring -- and not at all preoccupied with thoughts of martial arts or childhood best friends. But when their old master is murdered, the trio reunites, soon learning that avenging their sifu will require conquering old grudges (and a dangerous hitman still armed with ample knee cartilage) if they are to honorably defend his legacy.
Play trailer2:22
2 Videos
21 Photos
ActionComedy

Three Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, ... Read allThree Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties, and old grudges to avenge his death.Three Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties, and old grudges to avenge his death.

  • Director
    • Quoc Bao Tran
  • Writer
    • Quoc Bao Tran
  • Stars
    • Yuji Okumoto
    • Ron Yuan
    • Roger Yuan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    5.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Quoc Bao Tran
    • Writer
      • Quoc Bao Tran
    • Stars
      • Yuji Okumoto
      • Ron Yuan
      • Roger Yuan
    • 94User reviews
    • 76Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:22
    Official Trailer
    The Paper Tigers
    Trailer 2:22
    The Paper Tigers
    The Paper Tigers
    Trailer 2:22
    The Paper Tigers

    Photos20

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    Top cast31

    Edit
    Yuji Okumoto
    Yuji Okumoto
    • Wing
    Ron Yuan
    Ron Yuan
    • Hing
    Roger Yuan
    Roger Yuan
    • Sifu Cheung
    Jae Suh Park
    Jae Suh Park
    • Caryn
    Alain Uy
    Alain Uy
    • Danny
    Matthew Page
    Matthew Page
    • Carter
    Yoshi Sudarso
    Yoshi Sudarso
    • Teen Danny
    Mykel Shannon Jenkins
    Mykel Shannon Jenkins
    • Jim
    Andy Le
    Andy Le
    • Fu
    Brian Le
    Brian Le
    • Boi
    Peter Adrian Sudarso
    Peter Adrian Sudarso
    • Teen Hing
    Ken Quitugua
    Ken Quitugua
    • Zhen Fan
    Kieran Tamondong
    Kieran Tamondong
    • Young Danny
    Raymond Ma
    Raymond Ma
    • Sifu Wong
    Annette Toutonghi
    Annette Toutonghi
    • Minnie
    Gui DaSilva-Greene
    Gui DaSilva-Greene
    • Teen Jim
    Joziah Lagonoy
    Joziah Lagonoy
    • Ed
    Phillip Dang
    Phillip Dang
    • Chief
    • Director
      • Quoc Bao Tran
    • Writer
      • Quoc Bao Tran
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews94

    6.35.6K
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    Featured reviews

    7sucraf

    Very Enjoyable Martial Arts Movie

    The fighting was good, acting was good and comedy was actually funny. How is this movie boring? Don't listen to the bad reviews. If you like comedy and martial arts and not rated R stuff, this movie is for you.
    6Saanwithhisstupidthoughts

    AN AVERAGE BUT GOOD ACTION COMEDY FLICK

    Paper Tiger is neither a great movie nor a bad movie..it lied somewhere in the average line to me.

    The opening sequence and all did look promising but it was slow paced and sometimes engaging otherwise disengaging

    It has a decent enough plot with some humor lingering all over which most of the time worked

    The acting is decent and I am really glad that the director declined the inclusion of Bruce willis as a white male lead and to include Nicholas Cage as requested by hwood studios and went on to start a fundraiser and made an independent movie instead with an asian american as lead and with another Asian-American and a man of color as supporting leads

    The action scenes were okay and the slow motion too was bearable

    I can't say it's a proper entertainer for me becoz of the reasons I mentioned above but it's definitely a good movie in my eyes.... I will definitely re-watch it in the future and see if I can enjoy it a little bit more.
    7wasianegg

    Pretty good martial arts movie that we don't see too often these days

    This movie was a good watch. It wasn't anything crazy but it gave me a taste of what I was looking for, and then some. There was some great fighting scenes, jokes and comedy scenes that made me laugh, and the story, although a tad bit exaggerated, had me interested from beginning to end. The actors were likeable, and their flashbacks linking them to their younger selves looked good and helped me understand them a little more. I'd probably watch this movie again.
    8mauro_ca

    Entertaining and fun

    It was refreshing to see nice old fashion fight scenes and chorography, unlike most movies now days that are full of CGI and over the top nonsense, the movie was fun to watch, interesting and likeable characters, I would recommend it.
    phildankim

    Funny, personally relatable, and refreshing take on Asian-Americans in action movies

    I'd like to mention my Asian-American heritage as a preface to this because it's the foundation for the enjoyment I got out of watching this movie.

    This movie was originally pitched to Hollywood studios who wouldn't allow them a proper budget nor a non-white actor as the lead character (they wanted Bruce Willis and Nicolas Cage, I can't make this up, look it up), and I'm really glad they didn't take the deal.

    The cast had great chemistry, the characters were memorable for the most part (would've liked a bit more depth to each of the 3 main characters), and the writing didn't feel pandering, and managed to maintain balance between humor and drama.

    But most importantly, I can't tell you how refreshing it is to just watch a movie where Asian-Americans aren't highlighted for being Asian; the two Asian-American characters were written as Asian-American, and not just "Asian". They had Asian-American flaws, jokes, interests, even language.

    The premise of this movie makes it easy to dismiss this as "just another Asian martial arts movie", but I promise it's got much more to it than that. This is definitely a movie I'd recommend to anyone.

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When pitching the story to Hollywood studios, Hollywood wanted a white lead character to be played by Bruce Willis for $4 million dollars. They also wanted a role written for Nicolas Cage. The director and producers declined the offer and request because the script is originally about an Asian-American main character with a leading cast who are people of color. The team did not want to whitewash film, so they ended up going to Kickstarter to raise over $124,000 and had a few other investors to fund their independent film instead. (Source: The Daily Beast Op-Ed by Bao Tran; Seattle Channel Bao Tran interview)
    • Goofs
      One of home movies in the opening scenes is dated February 29, 1991. Indicating a leap year. But 1991 wasn't a leap year.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Film Junk Podcast: Episode 814: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 7, 2021 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Los Tigres de Papel
    • Filming locations
      • Canton Alley S, Seattle, Washington, USA(Alley behind restaurant)
    • Production companies
      • Beimo Films
      • Persistence of Vision Films (I)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $112,691
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $46,615
      • May 9, 2021
    • Gross worldwide
      • $118,351
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 48 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Ron Yuan, and Alain Uy in The Paper Tigers (2020)
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