FilmSnobReviews

Title: Uncut Gems
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Bennie and Josh Safdie
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Lakeith Stanfield
Runtime: 2 hr 15 mins

What It Is: Diamond district jeweler Howard Ratner (Sandler) is a man with a serious gambling problem and a ton of debts to pay. With all of his enemies closing in he is moving and bustling deals left and right in order to try and make it all happen. The crux of this moving and dealing is an uncut Opal Ratner acquires from Africa. When NBA player Kevin Garnett becomes obsessed with it he will do whatever he needs to in order acquire it from Ratner.

What We Think: Let me preface this saying that the Safdie brothers make films that seem hellbent on feigning an adrenaline rush. This is once again a display of manic storytelling gloriously pinned to a frenetic bit of acting by Adam Sandler. He hasn’t been this good since Punch Drunk Love. The Safdie’s are out here to redeem people. Robert Pattinson got a boost from Good Time. When watching this I could FEEL my pulse racing as I did with the aforementioned film and Heaven Knows What. Great storytelling, a solid script and stellar performances all around.

Our Grade: A, What a film! This is a film that dropped me to the floor in utter exhaustion. You feel like you’ve run the New York Marathon with Sandler. As cliché as it sounds this is a pulse-pounding, heart-racing shot to the adrenal glands. The third act is as good as cinema can get. My only real complaint would be that perhaps the pacing is too fast. It makes consequences and emotions difficult to understand. Nonetheless, this is a heavy recommendation and the perfect way to spend your Christmas. See this one immediately. You will definitely not regret it.