Review: Uncut Gems

Image courtesy of A24.

Josh and Benny Safdie's gritty and haunting 2014 film "Heaven Knows What" followed the story of a drug addict's downward spiral, and their follow up, the somewhat controversial "Good Time," was a crime story about a guy whose life spiraled out of control for other reasons. They combine those storylines in their latest - "Uncut Gems" - which is also their best film to date.

In the picture, Adam Sandler gives a powerhouse performance as Howard Ratner, a New York City diamond dealer whose addiction of choice isn't drugs, but excessive gambling, and when we first meet him, he's already in deep to a number of shady characters, including his own cousin (portrayed by Eric Bogosian).

Howard's wife (Idina Menzel) hates him and his girlfriend, Julia (Julia Fox),  who's also a co-worker, has seemingly roaming eyes, despite the fact that Howard pays for the apartment in which she lives. Howard's business appears to attract a decent amount of clientele - for example, he strikes up a business relationship with basketball player Kevin Garnett (who, along with singer The Weeknd, is among several celebrities who play themselves in the film) - but he quickly squanders whatever he earns on high-risk gambles.

Much like the Safdies's previous films, "Uncut Gems" moves at a breakneck pace, has an often scuzzy vibe and features a fair amount of intense close ups and shaky camera work. And it's mostly held together by Sanders's extremely committed performance. Although the actor often gets associated with the silly comedies he cranks out - most recently, for Netflix - people forget how good he can be when given the right material - such as "Punch Drunk Love" or "The Meyerowitz Stories." Here, he's very good.

"Uncut Gems" is often a frustrating viewing experience - but I don't mean that as a criticism. Watching Howard make the same horrible mistakes one after the other, and then rinsing and repeating involves a certain amount of gluttony for punishment from viewers. But while the character is frustrating, the moviegoing experience is invigorating.

The Safdies's previous movie, "Good Time," was similarly well made and stylish, but I took some issues with the ways in which the filmmakers appeared to want to push buttons merely for the sake of pushing them. Thankfully, none of that is on display in "Uncut Gems," which is disturbing in its own right, but in a way that serves the story.

The film opens with a series of two odd shots and ends on another that is clearly meant to bookend the picture. The opening shot goes deep into a mine in Ethiopia where miners are digging out gems - one of which is the opal diamond with which Garnett becomes obsessed and lands Howard into trouble.

The next shot, oddly enough, is the interior of Howard's rectum as he gets a colonoscopy. This may sound like an odd juxtaposition, but I don't think it's without purpose. Howard's obsessions run deep and can't be separated from the person they control. "Uncut Gems" is a frantic and inventive crime and addiction drama that features one of the year's most memorable performances. Give yourself over to it and it'll probably leave you feeling exhausted.