Uncut Gems (Dir. Josh and Benny Safdie, A24, 2019)

Adam Sandler as a charismatic jeweler who places a high stakes bet that involves life or death.

Adam Sandler stars as Howard Ratner, a charismatic jeweler who places a high stakes bet that puts his life and family in danger. The film begins with what we see are Ethiopian Jewish miners retrieving a rare black opal from a mine in eastern Africa. We then shift to present day with Howard Ratner at his jewelry store in New York's Diamond District. He is struggling with a gambling addiction in which he owes a debt of $100,000 to a loan shark who happens to be his half brother, as well as balancing his family life and mistress Julia, an employee at KMH. His business associate Demany brings in NBA champion Kevin Garnett, along with his entourage, to peruse jewelry in his store. While in the store, Howard's order of the black opal arrives. In an attempt to impress Garnett, he shows him the black opal, which he soon regrets. Garnett becomes mesmerized by the jewel, where he then offers him his championship ring as collateral on the condition that he pays Howard $1 million. 

After he leaves the store, Howard immediately goes to pawn his championship ring to get money for his gambling debt and places a bet of $600,000 if he wins the game. After winning the bet, Howard is kidnapped at his daughter's recital by the loan sharks. His wife (Idina Menzel) discovers him in the trunk of their car, visibly shaken by the encounter. Howard catches up with Demany at a club where recording artist The Weeknd is performing. He spots his mistress Julia with him, much to his dismay, where they eventually get into an argument outside the club. Garnett returns the opal and offers money for it, where Howard refuses. 

Throughout the film, Sandler does a great job with showing the central character in a constant state of anxiety brought upon by his gambling addiction. The film also highlights the turmoil this brings Ratner in his personal life, which starts to go downhill after his bet with Garnett. The dialogue when spoken by the actors comes across as someone who is hyped up on caffeine. Sandler is a cast with riveting supporting performances, especially Garnett, which very seldom comes from an athlete turned actor. I also enjoyed the cinematography and direction, which tied the film's beginning and end together. The camera dives into a diamond mine and then shifts to Howard's colonoscopy at the beginning. This is done again at the film's culmination, when Howard is shot dead by a vexed business associate Phil, which ties together the theme of life and death. 

Courtesy of Chicago-Sun Times

The film was well written with great performances from Sandler and LaKeith Stanfield especially. Due to the celebrity cameos in the film, it felt as if it could've been based on a true story, which is a testament to the great writing and acting throughout the film. The film was well paced and it did not feel like it was two hours long and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. There was a good plot twist at the end, which tied all of it together. I would rate the film an 8.5/9 out of 10. I would highly recommend.