The Paper Tigers (2020) - A Review

 

Trust me when I say, this movie is great!

The Paper Tigers is a martial arts comedy movie released in the United States in 2020 and stars Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Yoshi Sudarso, Peter Adrian Sudarso, Gui DaSilva-Greene, Matthew Page, Jae Suh Park, Joziah Lagonoy, Andy Le, Brian Le, Ken Quitugua, Roger Yuan, and Yuji Okumoto. It was written and directed by Tran Quoc Bao, with action directed by Ken Quitugua.

From left: Hing, Danny, and Jim; the Three Tigers.

In Paper Tigers, Alain Uy plays Danny, a middle aged father dealing with a high-pressure job, his young son Ed (played by Joziah Lagonoy), and his ex wife Caryn (played by Jae Suh Park). On the day he has custody of his son, he finds out his former kung fu master (played by Roger Yuan) has died. Danny meets up with an old friend he hasn't seen in years, Hing (played by Ron Yuan), who has gained weight and has a bum knee. When Danny, Hing and their friend Jim (played by Mykel Shannon Jenkins) were younger, they were the best of friends, and they all studied kung fu together under Sifu Cheung, their master. They were the best fighters in the city, beating other martial arts challengers with ease. Danny was the best of the three fighters, and their sifu chose him to carry on the legacy of his style. One cocky challenger, Carter (played by Matthew Page) kept being defeated and made a fool of by Danny. Thirty years later, Danny, Hing, and Jim are older and haven't kept up practicing kung fu (Jim is now a mixed martial arts coach and is the only one still in fighting shape).

Danny and Hing find out from Carter that their sifu was murdered. Carter gives them some leads on finding people who may know who killed their sifu. They get Jim involved, even though Danny had a falling out with him years back. The three friends have a reputation, and they have to live up to it against some younger martial artists. We then find out why the friends became distant from each other and from their sifu. Danny has to deal with his ex-wife and being a good father and role model for his son. We also learn that the person who killed their sifu has a reputation of his own, and Danny has to be the one that faces him to avenge their master's death...

The Three Tigers face off against Martial Club?!?

I first heard about The Paper Tigers from a Martial Club post on social media saying they had roles in the movie. From then on, it has been on my radar. I did see it being sold in stores, but I was (and still am) broke, so I couldn't buy it and watch it. I randomly found it on Tubi, and I finally watched it. Did it live up to my expectations? It more than lived up to my expectations! I love this movie, as a matter of fact!

The Paper Tigers is a drama with a lot of comedy in it. The movie mainly focuses on Danny and how he deals with his daily obligations as a middle-aged man, and how he left martial arts behind. Danny, along with Hing and Jim, not only left kung fu behind, but they dishonored their master as well. This dishonor is basically what causes everything that happens in this movie. The character of Carter does bring a lot of the comedy, along with Hing, and it is very funny and not mean-spirited. There is a lot of heart in the story and in the characters; you root for the three tigers to overcome their obstacles and honor their master. The performances of the actors are excellent and very natural and believable. This is just a very well-made, enjoyable, and fun to watch movie.

The action in The Paper Tigers is excellent!

Though The Paper Tigers is a modern day kung fu movie, there are more styles displayed in the fight scenes. Andy Le and Brian Le (of the Martial Club stunt crew and Everything Everywhere All At Once stars) use more of a high-flying, acrobatic, yet powerful fighting style. It's always great to see them unleash in a movie! Since Jim (played by  Mykel Shannon Jenkins) is an MMA coach (and practitioner, I would guess) he uses more wrestling and Brazilian jiu jitsu type of moves. Hing is out of shape with an injured knee, so he can't fight to his greatest ability (but he is still pretty good). Danny, the best of the three tigers, is just out of fighting shape and has seemingly lost his fighting spirit. Trust me, though, he still has the skills deep within him. Carter (played by Matthew Page) is their childhood rival and is still in fighting shape. He is really good! If you ever wanted to see Master Ken (yes, that Master Ken) in a Hong Kong style fight, here is your chance! The final boss, played by Ken Quitugua (and the fight choreographer of the movie), is a martial arts killer and seemingly unstoppable. The fight scenes are very Hong Kong style, exciting, with a little comedy in them. The action is great in this one!

As you can imagine, I highly recommend The Paper Tigers! It has drama, it has comedy, it has awesome action, and it has heart. What more could you want in a movie? I loved every minute of it, and I hope you will, too. The film makers and actors in this movie should be really proud of the work they created. It is really good. I hope these guys all team up again one day, I need more of their movie magic in my life!

Reviewed by David Williams