Uncut Gems - Review

Uncut Gems

“Uncut Gems” is a crime thriller film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie who’s previous work was the 2017 film titled “Good Time”. That effort was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It starred Robert Pattinson as a bank robber desperately trying to get enough money to pay for bail for his developmentally disabled brother (Benny Safdie);  

Now, the directing brothers reteamed to co-write a new screenplay with Ronald Bronstein in another dark tale starring Adam Sandler, Kevin Garnett (as himself), Lakeith Stanfield (“Get Out” and FX Network “Atlanta”), Julia Fox, Mike Francesa, Idina Menzel (Frozen), and Eric Bogosian. Its plot follows jeweler “Howard Ratner” a Jewish gambling addict with an equal philandering sex addiction in New York City's Diamond District. He is constantly on the con which has caused him to get way over his head in debt with loan sharks and low life’s. So, he comes up with the idea of retrieving a very expensive gem he purchased from Ethiopia in order to pay off all of his debts, including to his thuggish Jewish brother-in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian).

REVIEW: In the first 5 minutes of a total film running time of 2:15 minutes, “Uncut Gems” starts out as one of the most visually oddest films I have ever seen. In the first 2.5 minutes you see an Ethiopian miner being retrieved from an accident with a protruding bone from a broken leg. Then the scene morphs to a New York Doctor’s office where we watch “Howard Ratner” getting an obvious colonoscopy. There is metaphor there somewhere to contemplate and or toy with, but I refuse to speculate what the Safdie brothers had in mind. But in any event, what assuredly does transpire for the remainder of my time in the theater is seeing one of the 10 best films of 2019.

Through Sandler’s nomination worthy performance as jeweler “Ratner” you witness the personality of a middle aged man who is dramatically pleasant and occasionally amusing, while also being intensely dark. Someone who has come to a point in his life where he has perfected the gift of operating in the whirlwind realm of 24/7 breathlessly relentless treadmill of non-stop perpetual verbal bull shit just to momentarily extract himself out of a complicated situation. Similarly we also get to witness all those being conned by “Ratner” who are equally breathlessly frustrated; at their total wits end from having to keep dealing with his seemingly endless of excuses of why he does not have their money. And why I normally would think a simply plot line like this would eventually run of steam at some point, it does not. To their credit of the Safdie brothers they cleverly keep injecting just enough and the right amount of plausible subplots to make the entire film a total calculatingly subversive treacherous delight.

While known more for his comedic career in films, Sandler (who is in almost 100% of the scenes) delivers his most complicated chrarcter and the best work of his career. To me his interpretation of “Howard Ratner” personality reminded me of the kind of imaginative acting development actor Dustin Hoffman did in his 1969 portrayal of street hustling and street pimp “Ratso Rizzo” in the Oscar Nominated Best Picture “Midnight Cowboy”. But for me the real strength of the entire film is the way both Sandler and the array of many supporting characters worked so interchangeable well together. All of them having a myriad of different reasons for wanting a small piece out of “Ratner’s” ass and in a sling. Together they keep you the viewer thoroughly mesmerized to their interplay while never really deviating or straying away from the basic plot…………………”Howard Ratner”, is a lunatic hustling con man.

Visually, the Safdie’s have made their “Uncut Gems” stylistically look very similar to one of my favorite film Directors in Michael Mann (Heat and Collateral) with their infusion of many eye level super close ups, moving - walking rapid conversational dialogue and heavy use of night time darkly lite spaces with back ground blue lighting. At the same time they have also borrowed quite effectively the ability of Director Martin Scorsese’ (Goodfellas) to take seemingly insignificant supporting small role characters into people while the personification of utter unpleasantness were still very interesting to have experienced. Together these two styles work fabulously to contribute to two memorable scenes. One was involving Kevin Garnett and Lakeith Stanfield being stuck inside a locked retail security glass door. The second scene involved Sandler’s “Ratner” sex texting while hiding in an apartment closet. While both are somewhat insignificant key moments to the films plot itself, they were nevertheless effectively executed with shrewd aplomb.

 

Overall “Uncut Gems” is just exhilarating to watch and should be on your must see list for 2019. At times it’s excruciating. Other times audacious. Sometimes very sexy. Occasionally cheeky and appropriately funny. And sometimes very shocking.  But in the end it’s daringly bold high level entertainment that did not disappoint.

4.00 Stars