Film
Film review: Uncut Gems
This unhinged thriller by the Safdie brothers is very Jewish
January 9, 2020 10:31
This unhinged thriller by the Safdie brothers is very Jewish
January 9, 2020 10:31Adam Sandler puts in an extraordinary turn in Josh and Benny Safdie’s anxiety-inducing new crime thriller Uncut Gems. The brothers whose 2017 film Good Time went a long way towards adding some much needed street cred to Twilight star Robert Pattinson's acting career, could well earn a best actor nod for Sandler at the Oscar next month.
The adrenaline-charged drama is the brothers' most Jewish production to date. Set in 2012 in the New York Diamond District, Uncut Gems follows the trials of Howard Ratner (Sandler), a hapless Jewish jeweller in the midst of a destructive midlife crisis and mounting gambling debts.
With Pesach around the corner and a life split between his soon-to-be-ex wife Dinah (a fantastically acerbic Idina Manzel) and much younger new girlfriend Julia (newcomer Julia Fox), Howard may have finally bitten off far more than he can chew.
Chased by creditors around town, Howard has pinned all his hopes on a fraudulently acquired piece of rock covered in uncut gems. After bragging about his new acquisition to new customer and famous NBA player Kevin Garnett (Garnett playing himself), basketball-mad Howard agrees to lend him the rock for 24 hours for luck. All hell breaks loose when Garnett fails to return the rock on time, leaving Howard unsure if he’ll be able to add the piece to an upcoming auction.
This disjointed intense thriller has all the makings of an instant classic and is the Safdie brothers’ best work to date. Along with co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the fearless filmmaking duo have given us a heart-racing experience which should come with a health warning for those of a nervous disposition.
Elevated by a fantastically eclectic soundtrack courtesy of Brooklyn based electronic musician Oneohtrix Point Never — the musician also worked on the Safdies' previous film Good Time — Uncut Gems provides a respite from the usual run of the mill crime thrillers being churned out by Hollywood .
The Safdies have done it again. This fantastically unhinged thrille is one of the most exhilarating experiences one is likely to have at the cinema this year.
UNCUT GEMS is in select cinemas from January 10 and on Netflix from January 31