Uncut Gems

Actors who break from their normal genre take some great risk to showcasing a range of their talents. A normally comedic actor, for instance, can choose to break ground for themselves by either pursuing dramatic roles or even a behind the scenes director position. For this case, the actor we'll be focusing on is Adam Sandler, a comedian more loved for his earlier energetic humorous films than his more recent lazy cash collector flicks. He has proved in the past to have surprising dramatic talent in features that don't involve his usual film crew but it's not something he does very often. This brings us to Uncut Gems, Sandler's latest collaboration with a crew that doesn't involve his production company Happy Madison Productions with up and coming directors Josh and Ben Safdie, who popped up in a review I did on their Robert Pattinson starring film Good Time. The marketing campaign caught my attention with announcing the return of these filmmakers to see what kind of thriller they can bring to the big screen. I went into the auditorium (after watching 1917) to see how much anxiety it could add to the amount I already had and left it impressed by their executed work.

Note: If you plan on watching Uncut Gems, it would be recommended checking out their previous work Good Time to know what kind of features you'll be watching to see if you're comfortable with it.

What's it about? Taking place in 2012, the story follows a gambling addict jeweler attempting to retrieve an expensive gem he purchased to pay off his debts to loan sharks he's in trouble with. The best way to describe this would be a realistic PSA on the hazards of gambling addictions. Or another nerdy way to describe it would be imagine if Sméagol from Lord of the Rings desired his precious (an expensive stone) whose value would pay off his debts and is desperately protective of it. There's a lot of commotion going on here where the chaos of cramped rooms and areas throughout the film leave many overlapping conversations to display the wild life our protagonist leads. The pacing takes its time initially to set up the pieces before going full throttle into this dangerous path not only watching a failing lifestyle but also how far the addictive greed drives deeper into a hole that doesn't stop digging until its too late. It's harsh in how uncomfortable it gets with the mounting tension of the looming collectors and how the jeweler reacts to a situation he keeps making worse for himself.

The only negative holding this back a bit would be that some information regarding who some smaller side characters are ends up getting lost in translation of certain scenes.

How are the actors? The leading actors to focus on in this story are Adam Sandler and Julia Fox. Adam gives his best dramatic performance in his career showcasing a sleazy unlikeable addict whose actions feed into his ego and higher desires. Julia is very impressive for her acting debut in a role tied to Sandler's character that adds wild circumstances to that life in an engaging performance (as seen during arguments). Honorable mentions go to Lakeith Stanfield and Idina Menzel for their memorable performances that highlight their strengths (especially the former). A special mention goes to NBA star Kevin Garnett (yes as himself) for showcasing how good at directing the Safdie brothers are not only with normal people but professional athletes not used to being on the big screen by Kevin's surprise performance.

Overall Consensus: Uncut Gems conveys a realistic portrayal of gambling addiction through excellent directing, great acting, an amazing score, smooth pacing, and a solid unpredictable script. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟🍿 Runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or the Safdie brothers. You like seeing comedians break into dramatic roles. You enjoy unpredictable crime thrillers about unlikeable scummy people. You enjoy listening to music from the composer Oneohtrix Point Never (same one who worked on the soundtrack for Good Time). You like viewing the realism of addiction portrayed in an excellent manner.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or the Safdie brothers. You dislike seeing comedians break into dramatic roles. You aren't into unpredictable crime thrillers about unlikeable people. You don't enjoy listening to music from the composer Oneohtrix Point Never (same one who worked on the soundtrack for Good Time).