Uncut Gems Review

"This is how I win...the Oscar...hopefully."

After making their entrance to the mainstream with 2017s' Good Time, the Safdie brothers return with a crime thriller that is getting praised in several places, for both the Safdies work, and the man in front of it all.

As usual, I'll try to be a bit vague regarding what happens in the film, as part of the "fun" is seeing what Sandlers' Howard is going to do next.

The Good:

- On technical fronts, the film is well-done in many aspects, but I'll start with the cinematography here. I quite like the look of the film, as it manages to blend the pristineness of the world of jewelry, while still evoking the "vibe" of 70s crime thrillers, where it's clear that the Safdies are huge fans of. At the same time, it keeps a "guerilla" approach that manages to create a "fly on the wall" approach in some scenes, yet draws us in more intimate scenes, which is on both Darius Khondji and the Safdies.

-Speaking of the Safdies, one thing that I love about this film (and Good Time for that matter), is that the Safdies find a way to channel the thrillers of yesteryear (The Gambler, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The French Connection) yet still manage to make them fresh. For example, the rap music that the Safdies implement really helps in creating a modern sensibility & energy, instead of that music coming off as filmmakers scouring a Top 40 from Spotify and calling it a day. Another example is the use of smartphones and phones in general, as weird as it may sound. A lot of texts and phone calls really add to the tension in many scenes, particularly ones where Howard has to juggle with many people pestering him at once.

- Back to the technical fronts. The editing of this film also helps to create a nice flow to the film, in that it generates a kinetic energy, yet never manages to become overbearing and/or tiresome. It knows when to make scenes speed up, and knows when to slow things just a tad so that the audience can fully take in what's going on. The sound editing & mixing are also well-made in the sense that every text message and phone call sound duly important.

- The actual score of the film is fairly remarkable, although I'll admit I'm a sucker for synth-based scores in general. Anyways, I find the score to be a nice companion piece of sorts to Good Time, as that one is more frantic in nature. The score for Uncut Gems also helps to create a rhythm here, as it may be more spiritual at times to evoke the pristineness of Howards' beloved jewels and opal, where it also pieces that are more frantic where Howard is in more danger.

-The cast here is very strong on the whole, and I'll focus on some of the supporting ones here

• Eric Bogosian makes for an entertaining ring leader of thugs so to speak, but what takes the role even further is that he's Howards' father-in-law. Yes, he consistently pesters Howard for the money he owes him, but what I love are the moments that illustrate that he doesn't fully hate Howard. His two other thugs are also good in just creating a presence of "muscle", particularly Keith Williams Richards.
• Lakeith Stanfield is strong as we can all expect from him nowadays, and it's another feather in the cap to his ever.impressive resume. Anyways, he's good here as Howards' assistant whos' ego starts to grow after working with Howard for quite awhile.
• Julia Fox is impressive in her feature-length debut, as her vapid take as Howards' alluring mistress is great in showing that she clearly loves the high-life, yet she somehow actually does care about Howard in several scenes.
• Former NBA star Kevin Garnett proves to be a decent actor here. Yes, he's playing himself, however, he doesn't use that as an excuse to just say his lines, so to speak. He's pretty good in making a guy who falls in love with an opal believable, which makes sense if you think about how many athletes are superstitious. He's also kind of funny in one scene where he just tries to comprehend Howards' methods.
• Lastly, Idina Menzel (Frozen) is also great as Howards' long-suffering wife, as many of her silent moments indicate that she's been fed up with Howard for some time, which also results in one of the films most intimate/memorable scenes.

- Ahh but what is a great ensemble without the man in front of it all. I'll keep my thoughts on Sandler brief for now, since I want as many people as possible to see how great he is here, but alas:

• Sandler here proves the adage that an actor with the right material can do wonders. His natural intensity is used marevlously here, as we see a guy who's always on the edge and on the go. He's always looking for a way to score and he's quite the adrenaline junkie. His energy here is perfect. What I think takes the role and Sandlers' performance even further and makes it more dynamic are the "quieter" moments, where he tries to explain his methods or where he simply breaks down. Besides that, it's pretty amusing to see Sandler play a guy who everyone loves to hate...kind of like Sandler himself. In short, all I'll say for now is that I love this performance.

The Bad:

-Nothing much really for me. Maybe a couple of the characters could've been developed a bit more, although I think we get just the right amount so that we can see how Howards' actions fully resonate on his family/work associates/a combination of both in some cases.

The Ugly:

-There's been several arguments that the film is simply too much in terms of what it throws at you, and some have called it exhausting. I would technically disagree, since it delivers the right amount of thrills for me. At the same time, I won't blast anyone where they say the film didn't work for them, as every film isn't for everyone, this one included.

Conclusion:

- Uncut Gems works brilliantly on two fronts in my book: as a character study of a guy who just won't stop trying to score, and as a crime thriller of that same guy in a higher-class world who's trying to win it all. I love this film, and I'll gladly take whatever the Safdies cook up next. Even if the film isn't quite one's cup-of-tea, I would recommend it just for the merit of Adam Sandlers' performance.

5/5