![]() However, unlike the poem where you can take a breath when the ship is becalmed “like a painted ship upon a painted ocean,” The movie, like the ST Coleridge’s ancient mariner, fixes you with its glittering eye. The movie is bookended by in-depth photography of the opal, inspired according to the directors by the gemological photomicrography of Eduard Gübelin and Danny J. Just remembering all that goes on in the movie is enough to make you breathless. There is the Passover dinner to get through, his daughter’s school play to watch, a superstitious basketball player (Kevin Garnett as himself) to placate, a raucous party to crash, an auction to attend, even as he waits for the results of his colonoscopy. Over the Passover weekend, Ratner who learns of and buys the opal, is hoping to auction it for a million dollars even as he dodges his creditors playing one off against the other. There is also Demany (Lakeith Stanfield), Ratner’s assistant selling fake watches. He is on the verge of divorce from his wife, Dinah (Idina Menzel), while also having an affair with his employee, Julia (Julia Fox). So there is Ratner of course, who is deep in debt and like every other addict looking to make good with the next bet. Ratner’s world, where he is a jeweller in Manhattan’s diamond district is a cacophonous, dizzyingly bright place where everyone is out to rip off everyone else. Storyline: A jeweller with a weakness for gambling is up against all kinds of odds to stay alive and afloatįrom that point on, we are riding on Ratner’s shoulder seeing and hearing the world from his perspective.Cast: Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian.The Safdie brothers have made another rough film, but once again there’s a diamond at the center of it. But like a rare stone, films that combine down-to-Earth stakes and genuine emotional investment are hard to come by. Uncut Gems is ultimately a story about how you can’t trade good luck for goodwill, a lesson not every character learns by the end, and they suffer for it. The ending packs an emotional wallop, but is entirely satisfying and serves the characters right. ![]() Most importantly, by the time we reach the insane third act, as tensions mount and characters take actions they cannot take back, we do come to really care for Howard. ![]() But in that period, it’s easy to just marvel at Sandler’s performance and all the different elements the Safdies are juggling at once. The chaos of the content and the style does, however, make it take a while before we can get invested in Howard, so the first act and part of the second feel a bit like an emotional plateau. The way the script evolves this story is shockingly cohesive, considering just about every scene has 10 conversations happening at once. Idina Menzel, as Howard’s soon-to-be ex-wife, and Lakeith Stanfield, as the middle-man between Howard and Garnett, particularly stand out, as well as Eric Bogosian as one of the many people Howard owes money to, but with a unique emotional tie to him. Aside from Garnett, the rest of the supporting cast is strong as well. Uncut Gems slowly peels back the layers on just how many places Howard has money, as well as all the places he owes it, which lets the film unravel into a chaos of sad, unhealthy promises we can tell aren’t going to be fulfilled. The actual plot of the film revolves around Howard trying to get back a precious gem he bought from Ethiopian miners after he loans it to basketball star Kevin Garnett (who does a hilariously kooky riff on himself in an unusually sizable role). Even so, this film does virtually no harm to their growing and genuinely deserved auteur status. More money onscreen and off gives them more room to play as artists, but there is just a hint of extra grime from Good Time or even indie gem Heaven Knows What that it’s hard not to miss. It’s an aggressive film, visually and spiritually, though one with characters better off than most of the Safdies’ other leads. There’s a gorgeous grunge to the film reminiscent of 1970s Martin Scorsese, who fittingly serves as executive producer, as Uncut Gems winds up being a small-scale crime saga unafraid to dish out harsh realities, albeit with just enough heart. Play The Safdie brothers continue to hone that here, employing rapid cuts, intense close-ups, harsh lighting, loads of neon, and a moody synth score to create a hectic, anxiety-inducing mood that assaults the senses until the film’s resolution.
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