Uncut Gems

UK Release Date. 31 January 2020
Certification. 15
Running Time. 2 hours 15 mins
Director. Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
Cast. Eric Bogosian, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Judd Hirsch, Irina Menzel, Adam Sandler, The Weeknd.
Rating. 64%

Review.

Far from following a typical linear narrative, Uncut Gems is a taut tale of spiralling terrible decisions and escalating violence.

Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a compulsive gambler perpetually balanced on a knife edge between glory and ruin. Howard is in all kinds of debt that he juggles by borrowing more, constantly over-leveraging himself. But he never loses hope that he one day he will win big and beat the house.

If there is a central concept to Uncut Gems, it's that the heart of gambling addiction isn't greed, but the elation of winning. Success - it would appear - is always within reach, and each bad bet can be redeemed with a slightly bigger bet. 

There's a lot to absorb in the brash, profanity-laden script written by Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie. Characters constantly talk over one another and potentially the first 20-30 minutes may alienate much of the audience with excessive basketball and sports betting terminology. But once you get used to the rhythm and the tone of the film, Uncut Gems becomes a compelling watch.

The early part of the 21st century was far from kind to Adam Sandler; Sandler lost his audience with appalling films such as Little Nicky, Grown Ups and Jack And Jill. But following career-redefining performance in Punch-Drunk Love, Sandler once again delivers a credible performance in Uncut Gems. With a short fuse and combustible temperament, Sandler portrays Howard in such a manner that it is difficult, in fact, to imagine the film being as successful with anyone else in the lead role. Howard isn't a simple caricature of greed. He is instead a tragic character motivated by the euphoria of winning and a desperate need for approval.

Uncut Gems is exhaustive, and yet gripping. Deals are reneged on and deadlines missed. Howard ricochets from crisis to crisis as he begins to take increasingly risky decisions that enrage those he owes money to, particularly Arno (Eric Bogosian). And just when it looks like things are on the up for Howard, outside circumstances would appear to conspire against him. It's beyond tense and it's what makes the final act an almost unbearable watch. Uncut Gems is a unique experience that you'll find hard to tear yourself away from, leaving you breathless and stunned as the end credits roll.