Uncut Gems

Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a charismatic New York City jeweler, is always on the lookout for the next big score. When he makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime, Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Returning to the screen with a pulse-pounding crime comedy, directing duo brothers Josh and Benny Safdie (GOOD TIME) tell the story of Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a charismatic and slippery jeweller. Howard is determined to prove himself a champion in his day-to-day life, and he idolizes his client list of famous athletes procured for him by his middleman, Demany (LaKeith Stanfield). Ever scheming, Howard intends to sell a mined chunk of rock full of embedded gems at auction — after it’s shipped to him from Ethiopia inside a fish carcass. If he can navigate his way through marital problems, girlfriend problems, imaginatively vicious debt collectors, and his unquenchable desire to be close to success, he might just have a clear shot at winning.

Sandler commands the screen with such a nuanced performance that it’s like Howard has been sewn into his skin. He juggles the film’s uneasy comedy with a sense of imbued optimism, one that keeps him in trouble but also keeps everyone around Howard — including the audience — rooting for him.

The Safdie brothers give their signature gritty, naturalistic feel to the story, cementing their place in the canon of down-and-dirty New York cinema alongside greats like John Cassavetes and Abel Ferrara.

With surprising turns from former NBA star Kevin Garnett and The Weeknd playing themselves, the Safdies present a vibrant and chaotic picture of the city that is very much of the moment. Wrapped in frenetic, stop-at-nothing energy and full of laughs, UNCUT GEMS is a meaty, edgy diamond in the rough.