Martial arts movies remain contentious in Asian American cinema. On one hand, the likes of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have made major breakthroughs in the US; thanks to their kung fu movies from the 20th century, Hollywood realized that Asians too are excellent leads. On the other hand, however, the same films have molded into an unbreakable ceiling for Asian American actors. Stereotypes of sagely shifu and nunchuck-wielding warriors have since been well baked-in, the most recent “Mortal Kombat” (2021) notwithstanding.
Quoc Bao Tran’s “The Paper Tigers” (2020) enters the fray with a charming spin on an age-old trope. This production too had initially faced funding resistance. Critics denounced “yet another” Asian American martial arts movie, clamoring for other forms of representation. Upon viewing, however, these arguments seem redundant, if not ironic. “The Paper Tigers” is anything but. While it plays with the usual tropes of kung fu comedy, the...
Quoc Bao Tran’s “The Paper Tigers” (2020) enters the fray with a charming spin on an age-old trope. This production too had initially faced funding resistance. Critics denounced “yet another” Asian American martial arts movie, clamoring for other forms of representation. Upon viewing, however, these arguments seem redundant, if not ironic. “The Paper Tigers” is anything but. While it plays with the usual tropes of kung fu comedy, the...
- 5/9/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
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