The pro-baller takes one look at the opal and grows obsessed, asking to buy it. Howard can't help but show-off his newly acquired opal to Garnett – a choice that ends up hypnotizing Garnett, in a manner of speaking. One such famous face Demany brings in is basketball star Kevin Garnett (playing himself). Part of Howard's business involves selling expensive jewelry to famous people – most of whom are brought into the shop by his associate Demany ( Lakeith Stanfield). But he can't help himself and keeps fucking things up at every turn. In theory, the auction will help him pay those debts. Howard is addicted to gambling, and he has debts all over New York City. But since this is a Safdie Brothers flick, nothing goes according to plan.
It should be an open-and-shut case of moneymaking. Howard gets his hands on the precious gem and plans to sell it at auction. The opal in question is extremely rare, and, according to Sandler's character, jeweler Howard Ratner, worth millions. Opening with a shot that zooms into an opal and zooms out of Adam Sandler's a**hole, Uncut Gems is a saga of the choices people make when they put their faith in fetishized objects. And perhaps that's exactly the point – perhaps the Safdies want you to walk out of Uncut Gems and mutter, "Jesus Christ, that was exhausting." Once the novelty of watching him in this type of film wears off, all you're left with is another performance from the actor in which he shouts every single line like a man ordering a drink in a crowded bar. So the prospect of seeing the actor in a new indie from the Safdie Brothers ( Good Time) is too good to ignore.īut Sandler isn't doing anything new here. Even in dreck like The Cobbler, Sandler illustrates untapped potential. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) is another wonderful outlier, with Sandler giving perhaps the quietest performance of his career. Punch-Drunk Love is the best example of this, with Sandler using his angry man-child persona in a whole new light. Sure, he doesn't have what you'd call "range", but when he feels like trying, he can turn in something remarkable. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.Adam Sandler can act.
UNCUT GEMS REVIEW SERIES
SYNOPSIS: A charismatic New York City jeweller, always on the lookout for the next big score, makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. WRITERS: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein With Uncut Gems, the Safdies are operating on another level entirely, making a film that is, quite simply, a force of nature.ĬAST: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Judd Hirsch, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian
It’s hard to remember the last time a film consistently kept up tension for this long (even Fury Road took a couple of breaks). It’s a magnificent performance around which the nail-biting chaos of the story is built and he is captivating from start to finish. Sandler has never been better than he is here, making Howard eminently unlikable without ever stopping you rooting for him. Darius Khondji’s cinematography leaps from gritty to stunningly gorgeous abstraction without ever pausing for breath, a perfect match for the exhausting story. Yet it’s also utterly exhilarating, the Safdies barrelling through their narrative with miraculous speed and skill, always pushed further and further by the varied, thrilling score. It is so frantically intense that you can barely breathe, and you’re left physically drained by the experience. The noises of the city, its bright lights, and the chaos of Howard’s life batter the audience, locking you into your seat with unbelievably tense set-pieces. New York is the lifeblood of their oeuvre and Uncut Gems is their best film, one of the best New York films ever made.įollowing a whirlwind couple of days in the life of diamond dealer and apocalyptically self-destructive gambler Howard Ratner ( Adam Sandler), Uncut Gems is a lightspeed sensory assault from start to finish. Taking his title in this new generation are the Safdie brothers. For a long time, the premiere chronicler of NYC was, of course, Martin Scorsese. How well they use this manic city can be a real test for a filmmaker. Originally published as part of our London Film Festival coverage in October 2019Īs much as American cinema is based in LA, it’s New York that has always been the country’s most iconic on-screen destination.
0 kommentar(er)
