Der schwarze Diamant

Breaking out with 2017 effort Good Time, directing duo Benny and Josh Safdie quickly became one of the most talked about up and coming filmmaking prospects in Hollywood, with their Robert Pattinson starring thriller showcasing a knack the brothers had for crafting a frenetic thriller filled with abundant energy and visuals, that if refined further, could create something truly special.

Fast forward to the now and that promise has indeed come to fruition with Uncut Gems, one of the most insanely tense and energetic offerings to come our way in the last few years, as the brothers employment of the perhaps never better Adam Sandler as Jewish New York based jeweler Howard Ratner takes us on a unique and inspired ride through the Big Apple's diamond district, in what is an unpredictable and gripping affair that is deserving of the hype it has generated.

It's hard to put into words just how sweat inducing and hold your breath like Uncut Gems is to the uninitiated, as scenes such as Ratner yelling at a basketball game or fixing a broken automatic door don't sound like the staples of thrilling movie viewing but under the guidance of the Safdie brothers and delivered by Sandler, these such scenarios all combine to ensure that this dialogue heavy offering refuses to let us catch a break across its two hour plus runtime.

Built around some brilliantly realised sound design, often creating the feeling that we are listen to two or three conversations at once but never confused as to what we are hearing, some breakneck editing courtesy of Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie, in your face cinematography by famed D.O.P Darius Khondji and one of the previous year's best musical scores by Daniel Lopatin, Uncut Gems is the full package that has been conjured up by the clear and singular vision of its talented creators.

All this magic behind the scenes would've mattered for little had the Safdie siblings not been able to get the right people involved to enact out their vision in front of the camera but alongside side players like Lakeith Stanfield, Idina Menzel, NBA legend Kevin Garnett (playing himself!) newcomer Julia Fox, the Safdie brothers struck gold when they secured Sandler as Howard, a role it feels as though he was born to play.

Ratner is one of the most fascinating cinematic creations of recent memories, a not very likable self-serving businessman who is at all times placing himself first above all others including friends, family and mistress, he feels both entirely different to the persona Sandler has developed over decades in Hollywood but also one that perfectly suits his loud-mouth and quick talking repertoire, that see's the often misunderstood and lazy comedian/actor finally stretching his ability to what has now become universally praised results.

In almost every scene of this expletive-laden exercise, Sandler is utterly convincing throughout the Safdie brothers exercise, managing in the process too get us to root for Howard as his life threatens to de-rail around building financial debts and the recent possession of a potentially magical rock filled with Ethiopian gems.

It's unlikely we will ever see Sandler again find a role that fits him so perfectly, with it a shame the Academy Award members overlooked his impressive turn in the Best Acting category at the 2020 Oscars, a field he well and truly deserved to be a part of.

Final Say -

While there's certain plot developments and occurrences that might not stand up to intense scrutiny, Uncut Gems is a undeniable energy rush of a feature film, that is both a thrilling exercise in extended tension building and a stunning showcase for the rarely seen ability of Sandler, who has never been better than he is here.

4 ½ Furby necklaces out of 5

I'm gonna be honest, I'm not the biggest Adam Sandler fan. I purposely ignored this movie because I was expecting it to be another bad Sandler film. But upon taking a glance at some of the 2019 year end movie top 10's for some movies to watch, this movie kept showing up on the lists. So finally I caved and sat down to watch it.

And let me just say... DAMN! Wow! Just wow. That was INTENSE! I could actually feel the sweat form on my forehead towards the end of it because I was so nervous. This movie left me a mess. It was great! The directing, the plot, and the CHARACTERS were fantastic. The directing was done pretty well, but there were a few inebriating shots in the first half and throughout, but it's still directed well. The plot was very intriguing. At first I didn't think I'd care, but towards the end I was biting my nails because I was so into the film. I haven't felt so tense throughout an entire film in such a while, and I left feeling like a trainwreck. When a movie can do that, you've succeeded.

I need to give Sandler alot of the credit. I believe it's his best performance acting wise and one of the greatest of the year. Him playing this dark gritty and charismatic gambler was thrilling. I truly believe Sandler should take on more dramatic roles like this, because he was phenomenal. In fact, now thinking back on it, Sandler was so underlooked during the award season. He ABSOLUTELY should've been nomianted for an Oscar. In fact, this movie should've been nominated for Best Picture. This movie is so underrated and I REGRET not watching it earlier.

Look, I'll be willing to watch more of Adam's movies if he takes on more of these roles. This movie and his performance were fantastic!

I'd highly recommended this movie. It's a thrill ride. In fact, I'm surprised at the amount of low ratings in these reviews. It was great!

7.8/10 Might change it to an 8.

Intense 2 hrs !! It's loud and shouty and really in your face , gives you a rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish .

Adam Sandler is superb just brilliant, never knew he could be this way and he really became the person !!

It's a great film that never gives you a minute. No real sympathy for any of the characters but you do believe in them all !

A film to watch , just be prepared.

They should hand out high-grade blood pressure meds to people going to see this after it ends. The major strength and in a way the slight weakness of Uncut Gems is how laser-focused the Safdies are in conveying total anxiety, stress and mania through this extreme act of full cinema SOUND (levels of acting and over-lapping dialog, that Vangelis-Blade-Runner-on-Steroids/Crystal Meth score, some of the cinematography and the tracking of the camera).

I do wish there was a little more than just flourishes of relief, though I'd be lying if I said Sandler was anything but exceptional and riveting playing degenerate crumbling right before our eyes. While Eric Bogosian, Lakeith Stanfield and Kevin Garnett and many others here are natural solid, it's Sandler's show, and it's soulful and tense and harrowing and ultimately (as terrible as Howard can be) tragic. The filmmakers's greatest achievement from the looks of this and Good Time is finding star-actors who aren't known for their wide range and getting career-triumph work from them. If the movie isn't all that complex, I do think Howard is and that helps make this pretty special as a depiction of addiction, more than anything else. It's got grit and style to burn, which is mostly fine by me.

Some folks wrote that this movie was a mix-up of Marty Scorcese and Abel Ferrarra style and I think that's right. And Adam Sandler speaks, looks like, borrows every expression on the face from Al Pacino. I Don't know if the audiences have also noticed this but that's so obvious. Anyway, that's the kind of role, character that would have perfectly fit to Robert De Niro's co star in HEAT and the IRISHMAN. I like this uncut gem very much.